


Wolf Bond

by jkirsch



Category: Wolfblood (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family Drama, Pack Feels, Paranormal, Relationship(s), Romance, Wolves, maddian, mate bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 09:09:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 38,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7216363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jkirsch/pseuds/jkirsch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just as Maddy struggles to rebuild her life in Canada she discovers that Rhydian has found a way for them to be reunited. Yet what Maddy doesn't know is that to do it Rhydian has set darker things in motion. Is Rhydian willing to pay the ultimate price to be with her? Set after end of Series 2.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Unspoken Ultimatum

_"I love you too. One day…I'm going to find you, Maddy." Maddy's eyes filled with tears. She stubbornly blinked them back as Rhydian held her._

_"We'll find each other," she said, and though her heart felt like breaking, deep down Maddy held out hope that it was a promise they could keep._

Three Months Later…

Chapter 1 - The Unspoken Ultimatum

Maddy flung her rucksack on the kitchen countertop on her way upstairs, tossing herself face-up on the bed in her disaster zone of a room. She closed her eyes but it was too late. The sting of tears was already there. She sniffled and tried to choke back the sob that threatened to burst out. She rolled onto her side, trying to even out her breathing.

_All I need is Mum and Dad seeing me like this again. Come on, Maddy, turn off the sobfest._ It was no use talking herself into a state of mind she couldn't feel though, and deep down she knew it. Her halting breaths caught between sobs and newly formed tears, and the wolfblood girl could only think of Stoneybridge, her lost home, the people there, the pack that she'd lost. Dear friends Jana, Tom and Shannon had been ripped out of her life. Rhydian too—the boy she'd grown to love.

Maddy cried until she fell asleep, drained and exhausted. She wasn't even aware when Emma came in, saw her in her school uniform with her shoes still on, and quietly took them off before tucking the blanket around Maddy and closing the door.

An hour passed, almost two. Groggily Maddy opened her eyes and saw the dusky red glint of the waning sun peeking through her window. She heard voices downstairs and her wolfblood hearing snapped to full alertness, bringing the rest of her consciousness with it. She stayed quieter and stiller than death. Listening.

"You don't think I know that Emma?" Her dad's voice. Agitated…on the way to angry.

"Dan, you know this isn't healthy. The first few weeks I expected it. We all had trouble adjusting and I knew Maddy would take this especially hard."

"Of course she does! She still blames herself for what happened with Dr. Whitewood." The sting of self-accusation punctured Maddy like a hot knife.

_It WAS my fault though she thought fiercely. If I'd just left Dr. Whitewood alone, if I hadn't stolen the old wolfblood bones from the dig site, then none of this would have happened!_ Maddy tried to hold back fresh tears, succeeding just barely. It was still a raw wound in her memory - their flight from England after the forensic archeologist Dr. Mira Whitewood had taken that fateful DNA sample. The damning evidence which had proven to Whitewood that Maddy and her parents weren't quite human. They had destroyed the evidence and disappeared to keep Dr. Whitewood from ever proving the existence of the wolfblood race, what human mythology called 'werewolves.' Would it be enough though? Would anything, in the end, given modern tech and human curiosity?

More and more it seemed to Maddy that making attachments was all so much doomed effort. Why make friends, why care about other people when you would just have to leave them sooner or later? When would the next threat to the closely-held secret of their wolfblood identity rear its horrific head and force them to go on the run?

Maddy just had more and more trouble seeing a point to an existence based on constant fear. She tried to listen more closely as her parents talked downstairs in the kitchen. Their anxiety drifted up to her like invisible smoke.

"What do you want me to do, Emma? I've tried talking to her. I've tried comforting her every way I know how."

Emma sighed, and Maddy's throat caught. It hurt to hear the pessimism in her dad's voice.

"I know you have. We both have," Emma said with a sigh even bigger than the last. "I just wish I didn't feel so helpless. I wish I didn't feel like she was going through all of this completely on her own. I'd hoped that she would start making some friends at the new school by now, that it would help her get through the worst of this. It's been three months, Daniel. Three months! She hardly talks to anybody."

Maddy rubbed at her face, which was still a little sticky from her air-dried tears. She took a deep breath. _You can do this. Be strong for Mum and Dad. Be strong for your pack._ It was true, even though her friends and the boy she loved were an ocean away, she still had her parents and they were her pack. She didn't want to let them down. That was the one thing still propelling her, making her try at the new school, making her at least get by going on fumes. She did yearn to do more than that. Part of her wanted to snap out of it, to pick herself back up…and just didn't know how.

The wolfblood girl quietly sat up, her hearing still hyper-vigilant.

"What would you have us do? Hire a psychologist?"

"If it would help, yes. But no…I'm not arguing for anything so drastic. I just want our daughter to show some sign of improvement. I'll take anything at this point. Interest in a new club, some extracurricular school activity—that would be a start. Inviting a new friend over, for goodness' sake. These aren't monumental goals but I think they would put my fears at ease."

"Agreed. So question number two - how do we make that happen?"

Maddy's eyes narrowed as she waited for the other shoe to drop, heard her mum's reply laced with that iron determination that all alpha females were so capable of.

"Maddy has homework from school, does she not? She manages to keep up with it all right, even in her dejected frame of mind. Let's give her some homework of our own. We're her parents. We can do that surely."

"Homework?" Maddy felt a surge of relief at the skepticism in her dad's tone, but her hope quickly burst.

"Yes, homework. She has to join one school club and attend its events. Surely she can do that."

"Emma, I'm not sure this is going to accomplish what you think it will…."

Maddy could practically hear Emma bristle, strange as it seemed. Sometimes one pack member could just sense another pack member's emotions or movements when they were near.

"What do we have to lose, Daniel? Look, if you don't feel comfortable with it I'll drive her to all the club's events myself and make sure she goes properly. You don't have to do anything except for back me up on this, Mister. Do we have a deal?"

There it is Maddy thought. Her mum's alpha personality was indeed firing on all cylinders now. Maddy wracked her brain for a way to avoid or deflect her mum's interference. She just needed her space….So why couldn't her mum just understand that? She swiped at her eyes a few more times and slowly eased her feet to the floor. She was just starting to walk into the upstairs hallway when she heard her dad surrender to her mum's not-so-brilliant suggestion.

"OK Emma. You're right, we may as well try." There was a soft chuckle. "But I'm letting you break the news to Maddy, and when you do I'll be elsewhere."

Ugh. I can't believe this is happening. Maddy had almost resolved to see which of the clubs at school had the fewest events and involved the least amount of effort when another idea surged to the forefront, a glimmer of something bordering on hope. A desperate gambit… but well worth considering.

Joining some lame club? No way. I'm not going down without a fight. Maddy had learned even as a cub that to win a battle with her parents, especially when they presented a united front, usually called for one of two strategies. Avoidance or prevention.

Maddy made a show of slowly walking down the stairs, making as much noise as possible as she sleepily rubbed at her eyes. She yawned just to make it extra convincing, and then sat down at the kitchen table before going bolt upright in her seat.

"Mum! Dad!"

Her parents turned. Emma's eyebrows quirked up and Daniel gave his daughter his patented brow-furrow.

"I forgot, I was supposed to go over to study with one of my classmates tonight. We have a test in sociology next week. Can you drive me? I don't want to be late." Maddy wanted to direct the question to her dad, but that might give her away that she'd heard them talking.

Emma and Daniel exchanged a look. Emma nodded and Maddy's heart sank. "Okay Maddy, I'll get my keys." She was already scooping them up out of the basket by the front door, swinging it open as Maddy slung her rucksack over her shoulder and rushed outside.

_Think…think fast._ She had thrown this plan into motion immediately because she didn't want her mum broaching the 'parental homework' idea, and that left one big problem.

"So, where are we going? Who are you studying with tonight?"

Maddy couldn't remember most of her classmates' names, let alone where they lived, at least not for a spur-of-the-moment lie that needed to sound convincing, so instead the wolfblood girl blurted out the first name that came to mind.

"Jared Aimesley. I forget the address. Can you just look it up on the GPS?" Immediately Maddy wanted to smack herself. _Jared Aimsley!_ She had just named one of the most popular boys at school. A natural athlete, girls swooned over him in numbers beyond what she could count on her two hands and oh, by the way, he also had a brain cell or two beyond the typical sport-obsessed boy. If the goal was to stay under the radar and create a fake friend to make her mum feel better, Jared Aimesley was probably the worst possible choice.

Maddy suppressed the urge to sigh as the cobalt-blue SUV took a hairpin curve and then headed south toward the valley. The roads hugging the forest-blanketed Canadian hillsides were solidly paved but also narrow. Maddy tried to stare out the window at the flashing blur of the safety rail as her mum drove, content to drift off inside her own head. They had maybe a minute or so of blissful quiet before Emma began.

"Maddy, we need to talk." _Uhoh. Evasive action._

"Mum, can this wait? I'm nervous about this test and I'm not sure who else Jared is bringing over to study with us tonight and…look, I just really need to focus, OK?"

She gave her mum a beseeching look. There was a pause, and then Emma refastened her attention to the road ahead.

_Nailed it. Yes!_ So far the avoidance tactic was working. Maddy turned back to her mum, deciding to follow up her victory with a little redirection.

"Are you and Dad happy here?"

Emma gave her daughter a look, one alpha female to another. "Of course we're not 'happy' here Maddy, but we are trying to make the most of it." She didn't say it but Maddy heard it in her mum's tone. _You should be doing the same young lady!_ Maddy didn't trust herself to speak. The only sentiments bubbling to the surface at the moment were angry retorts or sarcastic comments, and she was pretty sure that either one would bring her another helping of 'Maddy we need to talk.'

She bit her lip. Her mum patted her hand. "I know you miss Rhydian and all your friends, pet, but this is a chance for a fresh start too. Can you look at this at least a little bit as an opportunity? It can't hurt you to, can it? I'm glad you're studying with some of the other kids. Tell me more about this young man…this Jared."

_I'd love to, but I haven't met him yet._ Maddy swallowed, desperate to steer the conversation anywhere but there. She threw her head back against the headrest and grumbled.

"I don't want to play twenty-two questions now. Can you just get us there?" She closed her eyes, pretending to fall asleep. Fortunately the tactic worked. In fact it worked a little too well, the rhythmic motion of the car soon putting the wolfblood girl under the spell of a nap—and with it a disturbing dream.

~End of Chapter 1~


	2. Plan Gone Awry

Chapter 2 - Plan Gone Awry

"Maddy. Sweetheart, wake up." Maddy blinked. This time her sleepiness wasn't feigned as she hobbled out of the car and wished her mum goodbye. As she turned and looked at the three-story house with pristine brick and stone siding, she was acutely aware that her mother was still in the car in park, waiting for her to go up and ring the doorbell. Maddy hesitated, trying to find a way out of the humiliation of randomly showing up at someone's door.

_It wasn't supposed to go this way._ Mum was supposed to drive off right away and then Maddy could have just wandered around for an hour or so before calling her back on the cell to say that they were done studying—a cake walk. Instead… _ugh_. Maddy called over her shoulder, trying to keep her tone totally nonchalant.

"Jared said he'd meet me in the backyard by the patio. I'll call you when we're done, OK?" She didn't wait for a reply, just hastened over to the wrought-iron side gate that led around to the long, narrow, patch of pampered green grass that was apparently the Aimsley's backyard. Maddy had just decided to wait maybe 30 seconds in the yard to make sure her mum had left when she rounded the corner to the patio.

Expecting to find it empty, instead she saw a lithe and limber Jared Aimsley throw a clean pass to a younger boy at least 40 yards away—American football. The blonde-headed boy dove and caught it, and Jared pumped his fist.

"Nice one Bray!"

He turned to see a slightly disheveled teenage girl gaping at him. Maddy suddenly became more aware of her rumpled school uniform, the one she'd had the temerity to nap in. She felt suddenly awkward and well on the way to becoming fully mortified as Jared sized her up with a confused stare.

"Hi there. Um, can I help you?" The thing about Jared Aimsley—besides his handsome, understated face with soft planes and those liquidy-warm brown eyes—was that he had this effortless aura about him. He just _was_ , somehow. He was the type of guy in school that could do something crazy or even stupid, like put whipped cream on broccoli, eat it and then make everyone else think that somehow it was _they_ who were missing out.

That was the sum of everything Maddy knew about Jared Aimsley from the keen observations of her inner wolf. It wasn't much to go on, but it was enough to create that slight flutter in her chest as she tried to stop staring.

"Hi. Umm… Jared Aimsley, right?" She was buying time, pure and simple.

"Yeah. You're Maddy James. The new girl from Northumbria."

Maddy blushed a little. She still wasn't used to her fake last name. "Um, yes that's me. If you don't mind me asking, how do you know where I'm from? Most people have never heard of Stoneybridge, and I know I never told anyone where it was."

Jared Aimsley shrugged at Maddy, his mouth quirking up just a little. "The town name sounded interesting, so I looked it up. You have to admit, 'Stoneybridge' is kind of distinct and impressive-sounding in its own quaint way. Hey, don't we have sociology and history together too?"

The dark-haired girl nodded, unsure why it was so easy to talk to this boy she didn't even know. She was about to say something else, anything to try to explain this bizarre random showing-up at his place, when the blonde-headed boy walked up to them.

"Who's the new girl? She's hot." The blonde boy yelped as Jared beaned him with another football.

"Ow. What did you do that for?"

"If you have to ask then you deserved it." Jared jerked his chin toward the back door. "Go inside. We're done practicing and I'll not have my little brother embarrass me by opening his mouth again." His easygoing face looked remarkably still as his younger brother scowled and tromped up the patio steps, slamming the door behind him.

"Don't mind, Brayden. Like most 11 year-old boys he can be a bit of an ass."

"Good to know. Definitely could be a much bigger ass, if that's any consolation." Jared grinned at Maddy's gentle humor, and soon she was smiling a little too.

"Look, Jared, I'm really sorry just barging in on you like this. This whole thing is actually really embarrassing."

"What is? You mean why you're here?"

"Yes." The wolfblood girl shifted awkwardly on her feet, suddenly feeling self-conscious as the inner alpha in her cringed and seemed to go dormant. Something broke inside her just then, and maybe it was because Jared seemed so easy to talk to, just one of those people who instinctively gave off that trustworthy vibe. On some level Maddy just felt safe to let go…and so she did.

"Look, I'm here on false pretenses. This was a stupid idea in the first place. I'm a total idiot." Maddy blinked. She felt the tears forming again, damn it, and she angrily swiped them away as she gulped up a shuddering breath. Suddenly Jared was right there, his arm slipping around her waist.

"Sit." He eased her into one of the wicker chairs at the glass patio table, then sat down beside her and put his feet up on the table, lounging as if he didn't have a care in the world. His light brown hair caught the dying rays of the sun like a halo at this angle, and only the intensity of his eyes betrayed how much she intrigued him.

"Can we start over?" he said, his tone curious yet soft. "It's not every day that a random girl wanders into my backyard." His tone brightened. "In fact, it's kind of refreshing. Not to mention, maybe fate wanted it to happen. You're new to Swan Hill and I've grown up here my whole life. You look like someone who could use a friend, and I just happen to have a vacancy. So, Maddy James…what do you say?"

Maddy kept her head half-bowed as she ventured a look up to gauge his expression. He actually seemed genuine.

"I'm not very good at keeping friends," she choked out as a fresh pair of tears slid down her cheeks. She struggled through it now, deciding to just get it out there, her dignity be damned. She told Jared about having to leave Stoneybridge because of the trouble she'd gotten caught up in, telling just enough details so that he wouldn't ask questions while leaving out anything wolfblood-related. When she had finished telling him everything she could, she rubbed her cheeks dry with her sleeves and waited for the inevitable rejection.

Instead she looked up to see that the boy was half-gaping, half-grinning at her. Jared shook his head, whistling loudly.

"You are such a badass, girl. You have that cute innocent look down pat, but you're really a daring thief. I love it!" he grinned, and when Maddy frowned he pretended not to notice, piling on. "So, any other targets? Who are you going to steal bones from next? I'm guessing if Indiana Jones had had a little sister…"

"Stop it," Maddy said, but the gentle teasing in Jared's tone had already disarmed her.

He tugged on her sleeve. "Hey, I know it sucks…being so far away from your friends and the boyfriend you just started dating. That must suck on a whole new order of magnitude, I totally get it. Can I make an observation though?"

Maddy looked up, suspicious. "What?"

"My brother's indelicate pronouncements aside, you're beautiful and smart. I've seen those straight 'A' papers Mr. Haversham hands back to you in sociology. Which gives me an idea, in fact, one of my better ones, and that's saying something because I get those quite often." His eyes gleamed at Maddy as she tried to get over the fact that Jared Aimsley, _the_ Jared Aimsley, had just called her 'beautiful.'

"What kind of idea?"

"Well, here's my proposal. I need someone to help tutor me in sociology. I'm just not feeling it, and Coach is going to be riding my butt if I don't pull up my marks. You help me with studying and in return I make you my for-show girlfriend. Totally platonic here, I mean I know your heart still belongs to this Rhydian guy. The whole arrangement benefits you perfectly though. You'll be instantly popular, my mates will look out for you. I'll stop failing tests. It's a win-win for both of us."

"Whoa. Whoa! Wait a second." Maddy's alpha had just woken up. "First of all, why me? You must have plenty of attractive girls willing to tutor you."

"Not ones who score anywhere nearly as good as you do. Next question." Jared met her disbelieving stare with surprising sureness.

"OK, then question number two is, 'You don't even know me so why would you be willing to do this for me? Really just to up your grades?' I may be the new girl, but new is not synonymous with naïve." The backs of Maddy's hands tingled, just faintly, but it was definite proof. Her inner alpha was clearing out the cobwebs and coming out to play.

"Fair enough." Jared gave her a musing stare. "I didn't want to admit this, but you leave me no other choice. I kind of did notice you the first day you came to class. I kind of wouldn't mind dating you for real, Maddy James. You showing up here is what I call a sign from the gods, from whoever, and I usually don't take those for granted. Fortunately for me I'm also supremely confident and I don't take advantage of people. So…." He gave Maddy an 'I've put all my cards out on the table' shrug.

"So…wait, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, you intrigue me and fate's thrown us together, so why not make the most of it? We'll be pretend boyfriend and girlfriend. I'll get the added bonus of being around a girl who intrigues me, you get the bonus of fitting in here in Swan Hill and having some friends to watch your back." He put out his hands, fingers spread in that gesture of surrender. "If you don't want us to be real boyfriend and girlfriend, I'm cool with that. I've dated dozens of girls, it's not like my heart's some delicate snowflake. We'll do this thing only if you want to, and only at your pace, with your rules."

Maddy's eyebrows arched as the gist of it all sunk home. She folded her arms across her chest. "If I didn't know better I'd say that you're proposing this odd arrangement not just out of pragmatism, but probably even more out of sheer boredom." Swan Hill was not exactly a happening place.

Jared leaned over, prying Maddy's wrist loose and bringing the back of her hand slowly to his lips as if he was mimicking some Shakespearean suitor.

"The ball's in your court, not mine. Maybe I'm a scoundrel. Maybe you're a thief. Maybe that makes us a perfect match." Maddy could see the laughter in his eyes. How could he joke so effortlessly with someone he barely knew? That made him a mystery she wanted to get to know more, she had to admit. Even her inner wolf found this odd human boy to be worth studying a bit more closely.

Abruptly Maddy's other hand shot out. "Shake on it?"

Jared's smile broadened, but behind his whole easygoing persona a tiny thought wheedled at the back of Maddy's mind.

_Why is it that I have this feeling I'm not the only one harboring secrets?_


	3. Beginnings of Betrayal

Chapter 3 - Beginnings of Betrayal

Emma pulled up at the curb just as Maddy and Jared stepped out the front door.

"You know you want to…" Jared said, his voice light, teasing, yet somehow not—not completely.

Maddy's heartbeat stuttered and she felt her palms go a little slick. The wolf was itching to break free and put this uber-confident human male in his place. The human side of her won out though.

"Look…you said that we'd take this at my pace, remember? My rules."

"Exactly, but do you really want your mom making you join some stupid club? If you kiss me in front of her now, she'll know you have at least one friend. One good friend." Maddy almost hated the laughter in his eyes. Almost. Her eyes darted back and forth as she bit her lip, considering. If she kissed him, maybe her mum would back off and not let her all-consuming worry keep eating away at her. She could withstand one kiss, surely, if it was for the good of the pack.

_It doesn't have to mean anything_ Maddy told herself. 

"This is just a one-off, don't even think about using it to your advantage. We are NOT dating for real."

Making her warning clear, Maddy strained on her tiptoes. Their lips touched, his enthusiasm taking her off guard as Jared cupped her face, deepening the kiss for a few memorable heartbeats. Too soon the moment vanished, and Maddy pulled away before her wolf lost control to snarl its way between them. She was panting as if she'd just run an up-hill kilometer, and her lips tingled not in the wolfblood way but from something unmistakably human—craving one more touch.

"Gotta go. Bye," she mumbled, whirled around and ran to the SUV. As she hopped in Maddy didn't miss Emma's appraising look before her mum pulled into the street as the engine purred.

For a little while there was just the sound of window wipers. A misty rain had started to pelt Swan Hill, and the mood it set would have fit Maddy's demeanor perfectly just a few hours ago. Now though…she didn't know what she felt. She still felt sad, disappointed, like half of her heart had been torn out. But she also didn't feel nearly as alone as she once had, and she felt distracted too. Who was Jared Aimsley? More importantly, what in the world had she just agreed to? Fake dating someone!?

_Maddy Smith have you completely lost it?_ If she didn't understand it how would she put up a convincing façade in front of her mum?

Sure enough, Emma couldn't leave anything alone either. Mums…sometimes they were too predictable, wolfblood or not.

"So, how did the studying go?"

"Fine." Maddy caught herself. That answer wouldn't do. It would only invite more questions. "Actually, it was better than I expected."

Emma nodded, trying to hide the knowing look on her face. "I gathered as much. You and Jared seem to get along well." She stopped there, but her wolfblood daughter could tell that she sorely wanted to say so much more.

_Ugh. I might as well get this out now rather than invite a full-scale interrogation._ Maddy looked at her mum shyly until she could gather the strength to force out the words.

"Jared asked me out."

"Did he?" And…nothing.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?"

"Were you expecting anything in particular, sweetheart?"

Maddy rolled her eyes, tossing a raiment of hair back from her face as she wrinkled her nose. "God, Mum. You're so obvious. I know you have an opinion. You don't have to play coy. I can take it."

As the SUV engine whined struggling up the steep incline, Emma kept her eyes on the road.

"It doesn't matter what I think, Mads. What do you think?"

Maddy grudgingly shot her mum a grateful look. When she said things like that the teenage girl saw Emma as almost tolerable.

"I'm confused still." Guilt spiked through her chest, and Rhydian's face came unbidden to her mind. She felt like she'd just betrayed him. "I mean, I said yes. I think he's a good person. I could sense that much, and everyone likes him. I'm flattered that he's interested in me."

Emma cocked a withering look at her daughter. "Don't you ever think he's too good for you, Maddy Smith. Any boy would be lucky to have you on his arm, and that's a fact."

Maddy groaned. "Okay Mum! I get it. Can we talk about something else please?"

That was teenage code for 'Be quiet Mum' and silence reigned for the rest of the drive. Maddy was relieved for it. Her mind felt like a ball kicked back and forth between two players, guilt and curiosity pirouetting in a dance that left her emotionally depleted by the time they arrived home. Night had fully swooped in, the moon an impressive thumbnail of eldritch light above the clouds. As Emma pulled into the drive she patted her daughter on the knee.

"I'm proud of you, Mads, making new friends. You're stronger than you think."

The wolfblood girl didn't say a thing. Once she'd slipped inside she changed into something less constricting and told her parents she needed to go out for a run. They knew better than to try and stop her.

For at least one hour and the better part of the next Maddy's inner wolf used the forest behind their house as her own personal playground. She leapt up the boughs of the pine trees, howling at the moon in human form. She ran and darted between huge overturned rocks, scaring and scattering the nocturnal fauna in the hollows. She ran wherever instinct asked, with only the wind threading through her hair, keeping her form human even as she let the wolf taste the antidote of nature and freedom—finding that beautiful break from the mundane.

By the time Maddy returned, rain-soaked and panting in her running shorts and dark purple mesh shirt, her parents were nowhere to be seen and just one lonely light from the living room still lit the downstairs. Maddy tromped up the stairway to the spare bathroom, hurriedly threw off her clothes and started the bathwater. As the mirror began to steam up she slid into the growing pool of welcoming heat, spreading her arms out along either side of the tub as she tipped her head back and closed her eyes.

She usually preferred showers to baths, but when her mind felt burdened there was something about a bath that just appealed more.

_Ahhh…What have I done? If only Shannon were here I'd ask her what I should do._ Shannon, her geeky, glasses-wearing friend, a walking stereotype who defied that same stereotype with her courage. She had been Maddy's friend since early grade school, and she'd also been one of the first to sense what Maddy really was. Even after discovering Maddy's wolfblood secret, Shannon had stayed loyal and kept her secret like the truest friend.

It made an uncomfortable realization intrude on Maddy's thoughts. _I wonder, if I had never had friends like Shannon and Tom, good human friends—would I have grown to hate all humans?_ As she sat soaking in the tub she reflected grimly that hatred of humans wasn't so far-fetched. After all, it was human selfishness and insatiable greed that had driven Dr. Whitewood to uncover Maddy and her family. It was because of humans that her family had been forced to flee their ancestral home in Stoneybridge.

Why shouldn't she hate them all, especially given the threat they posed?

It was an unsettling train of thought though, and Maddy cast it aside—just as there came a knock at the bathroom door.

"Maddy, can I come in?"

Her dad's apologetic tone almost made Maddy smile. Wolfbloods didn't have the same hang-ups about modesty that humans did. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that changing into wolf form every full moon didn't exactly leave room for silliness. Wolves were au naturale—just as nature made them. There was no being ashamed of that. For a wolfblood on some deepest level it was impossible to tell where the human ended and the wolf began.

"Come in." She looked up at his equally apologetic face as he sat down on the tiled floor of the bathroom. From his angle he could see just the upper portion of her face, his daughter's nose and eyes.

"I hate to interrupt you, but this is important and I wanted to tell you while your mum was still asleep on the couch."

Forget alarm bells, this had giant emergency gongs clanging inside Maddy's head. Her parents never kept secrets from each other, even little ones. This wasn't like her dad…

"Dad, what's going on?"

"Since the next full moon is coming up next weekend I thought we could make a trip of it, drive up to Banff National Park. I know it's been hard, bottled up in this small town where everyone seems to know everyone, where we have to keep the wolf in each of us on a tight leash—no pun intended." Maddy rolled her eyes and suppressed a groan but her toes were wiggling with excitement and she tried not to give herself away. "Anyway, what I'm getting at is, see here, I know this idea is not going to go over very well with your mum. So, before I broach it with her I want you to give me your sincere feedback. Would you be up for something like that?"

It was all Maddy could do not to leap out of the tub and squeeze her dad in a wolfy hug. To run free in her true wolf form under the full moon, to fully unleash all of her senses and move as one with her pack…. She nodded eagerly.

"Yes. It would be perfect, Dad. I love the idea. You really think you can get Mum to go for it?"

Daniel shrugged. "When it involves my daughter's happiness, you might be surprised how persuasive I can be." He grinned. "Besides, Banff covers a huge area of wilderness. It won't be hard to stay off the beaten path and away from prying human eyes. If we're careful I think we'll find roaming there to be much safer than chancing an outing near Swan Hill."

Maddy nodded with understanding. They couldn't risk roaming in wolf form near the very humans they might see day in and day out.

"OK, it's settled then. I'll make the arrangements." Daniel stood up, rubbing his hands together as he turned to leave.

"Wait."

Daniel paused.

"Can I ask you something?" Maddy felt uncomfortable, and her gaze dropped to the shimmering reflection in front of her rather than meet her dad's eyes.

"Sure, honey. What is it?"

"I'm assuming Mum told you about Jared."

Daniel nodded, scratching the back of his head. This clearly wasn't the most comfortable territory for a father-daughter conversation, and another spell of awkward silence filled the space.

"Do you think I'm betraying Rhydian?" There it was, blurted out raw and unvarnished—the worry gnawing at Maddy's heart.

Daniel sighed. "I can't speak for Rhydian." He paused, waiting until his daughter met his pointed look. "And I trust that you'll be careful with Jared. He can't know what you are, Maddy. Not ever. Shannon and Tom were different. They had grown up with you since you were all little. You know that."

"Yes, I know." She nodded, but a sudden anchor seemed to solidify in her chest. She wiped at her face as the caustic thought erupted in her mind. _Thanks, Dad. It's nice to know you trust me._

"Look, Maddy, I'm sorry. I know that wasn't the answer you were looking for, but it was the honest one. I think Rhydian would understand that right now you and he are living in separate worlds. For all intents and purposes we may as well be on another planet. He doesn't know where we are or even how to contact us, and for everyone's safety that's what's best…certainly until we can be sure that Dr. Whitewood is no longer a threat.

"Until then I think it's important that you live _your_ life, Maddy. You and Rhydian are young, and I can't pretend to know what will happen between you. But you can't put your entire life on hold for Rhydian's sake. You have to _live_ , Maddy. That's all I can tell you."

After Daniel had left Maddy brought her knees to her chest and hugged her arms around them. The water temperature had already started to plummet, and soon it would be more lukewarm than hot. She mulled over Daniel's answer, wondering what Rhydian was doing at this exact moment, a tiny painful throb inside her yearning to know.

Maddy decided that honest answers were sometimes way overrated.


	4. Making Friends and Enemies

Chapter 4 - Making Friends and Enemies

Between the chatter of birdsong and the sunlight beaming through her window, Maddy's hopes for sleeping in on Tuesday didn't have a ghost of a chance. She grumbled as she stalked downstairs and plopped down at the kitchen table while Daniel shoved a plate of 98% lean bacon and steaming scrambled eggs in front of her.

"Eat first, wake up later," Daniel said brightly, disappearing as he left to get ready for work.

The morning at school started off innocuously enough. Maddy tried to pretend that the day before hadn't happened, that she hadn't kissed Jared Aimsley, one of the most popular boys at school. And to be honest, her wolf snubbed her nose at the mere human, not much caring for him today. As Maddy threw her rucksack into her locker and rearranged her hair into a ponytail, her wolf silently berated her. _Rhydian is your mate. With him you have a future! What do you know or care about some human boy?_

She thrust the wolf aside, gritting her teeth as she slammed her locker shut. There, behind the just-slammed door, a shockingly flawless face greeted her. Blonde hair and porcelain skin completed the look with the tall girl's perfectly sculpted features.

"You don't even know who I am, do you?" The girl's blue eyes were frosty, and her posture had the hair on Maddy's neck already standing at attention. "Sabrina McAdams. You might want to remember it, since I'm about to become your worst nightmare."

Maddy wrinkled her nose at her. "Excuse me? I don't even know you."

"You do now." The girl who called herself Sabrina slapped Maddy hard across the cheek, the loud smack echoing in the hallway as Maddy felt all eyes turning their way. The wolf inside her surged forward, and she frantically batted it away, balling up her fists and trying to breathe. If she lashed out at the girl her hands would curl into something not even remotely human. Her heart hammered, her vision turned to blood and she could practically feel the veins in her wrists darkening with the call of the wolf.

"What the hell was that for?"

"That was for kissing my boyfriend." Huh? Jared had a girlfriend? Maddy had practically lived the existence of a hermit in Swan Hill until now, so it was hard to know whether this girl was lying. Maddy hadn't seen Jared with any girls recently, at least as far as she knew…but Maddy also had to admit that she hadn't been the most observant since coming here.

"I don't know who told you we were dating, first of all." But she _did_ know, and Maddy felt a cold fury massing with the knowledge that only Jared could have told her. "Look, just stay away from me you crazy—" Sabrina tried for another slap, and this time Maddy was ready.

The wolfblood girl spun around, moving behind Sabrina even as the blonde girl flailed at empty space. Meanwhile Maddy grasped Sabrina's left wrist from behind, driving it up at a painful angle as she shoved the girl face-first into her locker with a satisfying crunch.

"Girls, stop this at once!" came a furious voice from the opposite end of the hall. Mrs. Schiller's click-clacking high heels became ominously more deafening as they drew closer. "Both of you to Principal Maybrith's office—now!"

Sabrina turned around, her expression buffeted by conflicting tides of disbelief and anger. "I think she broke my nose!" Blood was trickling down the blonde girl's lip and chin, and her hands were clenching and unclenching even as she trembled with what Maddy safely assumed was mounting rage. Maddy took a step back, putting her hands up. But the sight of blood already had her wolfing out, and her inner beast wouldn't be contained. She turned and ran, sprinting for all she was worth. She lurched through the door to the outdoor practice fields and kept running until she'd reached the chain fence at the very end of the main football field.

There Maddy stopped briefly, panting hard while she made sure she wasn't being followed, then quickly leapt the fence and ran for the shelter of the forest. She'd barely made the safety of the tree line when her wolf tore free, her blood vessels and veins obliterated as they transformed and re-solidified in a chaotic burst of wolfblood power.

She stood there, a tawny-furred wolf with eyes that shone luminous in the dappled sunlight. Maddy tore off, a furry blur among the trees. She ran until the pounding in her chest began to ease and the wolf's fight-or-flight response began to ebb. The wolfblood girl dashed and ran until she felt almost exhausted, even in wolf form, until she collapsed in a heap in a wooded clearing, gasping and feeling too many conflicting things at once.

It seemed that ever since fleeing Stoneybridge her wolf had become hypersensitive, less stable. She tried to calm it down, and just when she thought she had it under wraps it would claw its way out again, strong as ever. It was another half hour before she finally brought it completely under control, coughing as she returned to human form.

She sat up, numb as she realized the implications of what had just happened.

_So much for keeping a low profile._ This was what she got for trusting someone, for agreeing to Jared's little plan. Jared wasn't a good guy after all. He was an asshole. Just another jerk. She stood up on shaky legs, trying to brush off the worst of the vegetation that had made her uniform a complete green-smeared mess. But her mind snapped into focus, and she did the smart thing. She whipped out of her cell and called her mum immediately, told her everything that had happened. She even managed to keep the wobbly tremors out of her voice—mostly.

Within the hour Emma was at Swan Hill High School sitting with her daughter in the principal's office. The assistant principal, Mrs. Schiller, threw the occasional disapproving glare their way, which seemed to pierce the glass partition of Principal Maybrith's office like cannon fire.

Bald-headed, severe-looking Principal Maybrith was in his late 40's, and his beard made him look much older than that as he tapped his pen irritably against the top of his desk.

"I can't have violence in my school, Mrs. James. Your daughter broke a girl's nose today!"

"After she was attacked first," Emma reminded him, careful to keep her tone level. "There is no shortage of witnesses, you've already admitted as much, and as someone new to this school my daughter deserves the benefit of the doubt. She has made no enemies these past three months. She's kept her nose to the grindstone and worked hard. She's getting near-perfect marks in most of her classes."

Principal Maybrith looked exasperated, and he threw up his hands. "That may be, Mrs. James, but something like this cannot go unpunished." He sighed. "She will have detention alongside Sabrina for two weeks every day after school, for one hour. This is nonnegotiable."

Emma nodded and stretched out her hand. "Thank you for being understanding. I promise you, my daughter will not be causing you further trouble." Maddy opened her mouth, furious at Emma's capitulation. She snapped it shut again, but her blood was boiling.

She rose without a word and followed her mum out of the room. As they got in the car, Maddy looked out the window, still livid. The drive home felt like the longest trip of Maddy's life, and she was careful to avoid looking at Emma the entire time. Emma said nothing, which was just as well, and Maddy promptly dashed up to her room, closed the door, locked it, and sat down at her desk. Folding her hands on the desk she put her head down and decided she would _not_ under any circumstances cry.

The rest of the afternoon passed by with blissfully little to prevent Maddy from listening to her favorite music playlists and creating a few new ones. She decided to get her mind off of the disaster the day had been, ignoring her wolf's attempts at consolation. She listened to Evanescence, Plum, and some of her other favorite musicians as the sun reddened in the sky. It was a few minutes after 4:15pm when the inevitable knock came at the door. She pushed back her headphones and gave Emma a deadened stare when she poked her head in.

"What do you want?"

"Jared is here to see you. He's downstairs in the family room."

"Tell him I don't want to see him."

Emma shook her head. "You'll have to tell him yourself. I'm off to the store to buy groceries. I'll get you some of the moose tracks blue ribbon brand you like so much. Text if me if you think of anything else special you want, yes? I know it's been a rough day." She shut the door without waiting for a response, and Maddy felt like screaming but didn't. Instead she put on her pajamas, dignity be damned, and marched downstairs.

Sure enough, there he was. Jared 'the Asshole' Aimsley was sitting on the couch, his deceptive-looking face showing sorrow and concern.

He got up immediately when she walked in. The sincerity in his eyes made Maddy hesitate just long enough for him to get in the first words edgewise.

"Maddy, I heard what happened and I came to apologize. I didn't mean for you to get hurt like this. It's been over a month and a half since Sabrina and I broke up, and the truth is we had an amicable break-up, we were still friends. I had no idea she had this kind of resentment in her or that she would lie and lash out at you. I really didn't."

Maddy sat down on the couch opposite. "So you didn't know that your ex-girlfriend was a crazy rhymes-with-witch and starts with a 'b,' is that it?" Maddy felt a headache coming on, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she rubbed at her temple with both hands. "Look, with friends like you, Jared, maybe I don't need friends. Maybe you should just leave."

She glanced up just in time to see how much her words had stung. Jared blanched, and his handsome face looked like someone had punctured his kidneys with a screwdriver. He wrung his hands and then reached behind him, drawing out a little burgundy box with a violet ribbon wrapped around it.

"Will you at least open this? I brought it to cheer you up."

Grudgingly Maddy took it from Jared's hand, ripping through the wrapping paper and untying the ribbon. Setting those aside, she opened up the velvet container and found inside it a silver locket, shiny and pristine. In the center of the locket a symbol had been etched on the surface with the initials T.N.G.

Maddy looked up, confused. "What does this stand for?"

Jared smiled a little sheepishly. "I had it custom-made for you after school today. It stands for 'Tough New Girl.' My friends helped me come up with a proper nickname for you, and after we heard how you had put Sabrina in her place today that sort of seemed the most appropriate." He winced as he saw Maddy's withering look. "You don't like it?"

Maddy's face softened as she fingered the locket. "No…I do like it actually. I really do. Though I would have been more impressed if you had come up with the nickname on your own." She looked up at him, sighing.

"Does this mean you don't hate me anymore?" Jared stood up and ventured over to sit beside Maddy on the other couch. He tentatively reached his hand out to take one of hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Unfortunately that was the moment her wolf chose to have a meltdown. Maddy thought of the trip to Banff, how today's wolf-out pretty much assured that she would be grounded for the next full moon. That one-of-a-kind chance to have her wolf run free with her family beside her had meant so much more after everything else that had happened, after being separated from Rhydian and all her friends. The thought that she had disappointed her parents, made their new start in Swan Hill that much more difficult, and that her wolf would be chained deep inside her for even longer, all of those things conspired to break her composure.

She started to cry, the tears coming in halting bursts as she put her hands over her eyes.

"Whoa, hey there." Jared's expressive face tightened with concern as he tucked Maddy against his side, letting her cry on his chest without saying another word. He just sat there, stroking her back with one hand and rubbing her arm with the other, just being a comforting presence.

Surprisingly, Maddy discovered that just made all the difference. The worst of the heaving sobs soon fled, and she sniffled embarrassingly, swiping a Kleenex from the tissue box just behind the couch. She blew her nose and then, still blushing, looked over at Jared.

"I feel like the biggest idiot in the universe," he said. He reached out again and grabbed her hand, enfolding it in both of his. "Let me make it up to you?"

"How's that?" she choked out.

"Let me take you up to Banff next weekend. My parents are out of town, so it would just be you, me, and my best friends Mace and Lyssa."

Maddy chuckled at the irony. It came out more as a sniffled wheeze.

"Yeah…I'm pretty sure I'll be grounded that weekend thanks to what happened today. What else you got?"

Jared squeezed Maddy's hand again, this time brushing a forgotten tear from her cheek.

"OK, how about I be your servant for a week. I'll go wherever you want. I'll take you out to eat, show you a good movie or two. My friends are awesome too. You can hang out with us at my place. We can play pool, ping pong, watch movies, soak in my parents' hot tub. You name it. There's also a really cool hiking trail at Eagle Glen Falls I could take you on."

The wolfblood girl slowly let a smile spread across her face. She thought of the two-week detention and made a quick decision.

"You can be my servant. Make it two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Jared protested.

"That's how long I have detentions for," Maddy said pointedly and kept up her glare until Jared folded.

"OK. Two weeks."

Maddy squeezed Jared's hand back and took a deep, calming breath. "Jared?"

When Jared looked up the wolfblood girl leaned over, kissing him on the cheek.

"Thanks for coming over tonight. I'm sorry I beat up your ex-girlfriend." Maddy tried to hold back her grin as Jared's own grew bigger and bigger.

"Yeah…well, I should be thanking you. I didn't know she was insane, jealous and violent, so yeah…I'm pretty sure I'm better off without her." Jared started to reach out, and Maddy could see him hesitate. He brushed his thumb affectionately across her cheek. "Maddy James, has anyone ever told you that you're beautiful even with the whole 'swollen-eyes-post-crying' look?"

Maddy frowned and batted his hand away. "No, probably because most people are smart enough to know that I'd smack them senseless." Jared quickly scooted away as Maddy made a lunge for him. Soon the two were laughing as she chased him. She was threatening him between fresh bouts of laughter, and it was somehow the freest she had felt in a long, long time.

Only after she'd caught him and boxed his ears did she let him go. She walked him to the front door and wished him a good night. Then Maddy watched Jared walk over and slide into his silver sedan, saw the dim splotch slowly back up into the darkness as she stood by the doorway just thinking. Biting her lip, Maddy couldn't help but wonder. Wonder and worry.


	5. The Unexpected Visitor

Chapter 5 - The Unexpected Visitor

For a town of less than 4,000 souls, Swan Hill still managed to exude a certain liveliness. Maddy knew that living out in the sticks had the advantage of making people appreciate community in a way that city-dwellers too often failed to. As she waited for Jared to come pick her up that Friday night she tried to blame all of her pre-social engagement jitters on her inner wolf. She reminded herself _I'd rather be nervous about actually getting to go out than not feeling nervous and just being stuck at home_.

Tomorrow night was the full moon and tomorrow she was indeed grounded just about as thoroughly as a sparrow with its wings clipped. But Emma and Daniel had told her to go out and have fun on Friday. Maddy could tell that her parents' concern for her making friends still overrode their protectiveness or worries over the incident at school.

"So, here we are." Jared put the car in park.

"And where exactly is here?" Maddy asked. Jared had insisted on making tonight a surprise.

A bright orange neon sign proclaimed _Maya's Café and Curiosities_. The moon hung in the sky like a bleached Christmas tree ornament as Maddy stepped out of the car. Her skirt and knee-high socks matched her fleece, a wardrobe mismatch saved only by the color scheme of blues, greens, and pale shades of lavender. Maddy hated wearing makeup, but tonight she'd made a few allowances, even giving her eyelashes a subtle purplish tint.

"Wow. You look like a faerie goddess."

"You're just noticing this now?" She arched an eyebrow at him. "How do you know, anyway? Have you ever dated one?"

Jared grinned, jumping out of the car as he came around to her side, opened the door, and grasped her hand to tug her out. "Don't believe all the rumors you hear, Maddy James. I'm not the player people think I am."

She shot him a skeptical glance as they made their way inside. Once inside the assault of delicious smells fired her wolfblood senses. A huge cauldron of chili simmered over a fire in the spacious, open-concept kitchen at the center of the enormous wood-paneled great hall. She steered well clear of the fire since the flames sent an instinctual spike of fear through her wolf.

Overall though the vibe at Maya's put Maddy at ease. The entire place had the feel of a royal lodge, with tables and intricately decorated lamps of five different colors casting a festive glow throughout the café.

Jared jerked his chin in the direction of a long, winding staircase with an alabaster railing carved into shapes of horses galloping through clouds.

"Up there is the huge bookshop and all kinds of other odds and ends that should defy your expectations. Old Mr. Pentersil and his wife have been running this place since before I was born. Don't ask me where they get all the junk. I'll take you up there after we eat if you want to poke around."

She nodded vigorously. "Yes please."

The thrill of a hunt piqued Maddy's curiosity. Somehow the idea of serendipitously running across a one-of-a-kind object held a special appeal to her that trumped the usual boredom she associated with shopping. Jared guided her over to a long oak table that could seat at least 14 people.

"Hey, J-bird. What's up? You finally made it." Jared gave one of his football teammates a fist bump and sat down beside a pale-skinned girl with hair so blonde it was practically white.

"This is where the team eats one Friday a month," Jared said.

"Any particular reason they call you J-bird?" Maddy asked, guessing he could see the temptation to tease in her eyes.

"Yeah…that's top secret information I don't tell girlfriends unless I've dated them at least a month. Sorry." Maddy gave him a punch in the shoulder as he introduced her to the pale-skinned girl who looked more than a little Viking-esque.

"This is my best friend Lyssa. Lyssa, meet Maddy."

Lyssa shook Maddy's hand firmly and gave her a grin that reached all the way to her eyes.

"She looks harmless enough. Are you sure this innocent creature went toe to toe with our Sabrina?"

Maddy stiffened a little at the mention of Sabrina, but if Lyssa noticed she didn't let on. Instead the other girl was already moving on to the next topic. "So, you'll have to forgive me, all of us to be exact. You'll probably get asked way too many questions tonight. That's what you get for being the new girl. Swan Hill doesn't see too many outsiders."

"Lyssa." Jared's tone matched his frown.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I'm not saying 'outsider' as in bad. I'm saying outsider as in 'exotic' and 'not boring.' If the questions get a little too nosy don't feel bad deflecting them and don't take it personally. People here can be hopeless gossips."

"You would know," Jared smirked.

Lyssa smiled sweetly and reached over to swat him. He easily dodged as Maddy put out both hands, one toward each of them as if she were a crossing guard or a United Nations peacekeeper…maybe both.

"No fighting allowed until after we've eaten. I'm hungry. You two can beat yourselves silly afterward for all I care."

Lyssa gave Maddy an admiring look. "I think I like her. Unlike Sabrina, she doesn't have a stick up her—" Jared threw a look that cut Lyssa short.

The next half hour or so was relaxing, and Maddy enjoyed getting to know Lyssa and some of the other players on Jared's football team. Max, Wes, and Graham were fellow midfielders who seemed to have an especially close comradery with Jared. They all seemed to be at least a foot taller than Maddy, though that was probably somewhat of an exaggeration. Still, their figures had already filled out with muscle that made Maddy feel almost childlike by comparison. She was maybe 5'2, and they had to be at least 5'8. Of course in her wolf form she was certain that she would be a match for any of them, and the thought made her grin.

"What are you smiling about?" Jared said, poking her as they waited for the pizza they had ordered.

"Uh-oh, Jared. I see diabolical mischief in those eyes," Lyssa teased. The straw-haired girl clapped her hands together, her mind flitting to a new topic. "Can I just say that you have the most adorable accent ever, by the way? What is that, Welsh?"

"Umm, I'm actually from Northumbria." Maddy felt a little self-conscious all of the sudden, but she tried not to show it. _I think Lyssa's nickname should be butterfly girl…. She has the attention span of one._ But the truth was that she instinctually liked Lyssa. The girl could talk your ear off, but she meant well and she showed genuine interest as she zipped from one topic to the next.

They had gotten their pizza finally, a monstrosity of yumminess steaming fresh from the oven and dotted with a feast of red and green peppers, pepperoni, sausage, and bacon. Maddy had insisted on including the bacon, or at least her wolf had. _It's the least you can do for making me humor these insufferable humans._ Maddy was pretty sure nonetheless that Jared and his friends were starting to win over her wolf. Humans or not they were still a pack of sorts, and those bonds could still form.

For the first time Maddy wondered if Swan Hill might become a home of sorts. The evening had been so low-key, so totally relaxed….

Until it wasn't.

Maddy put her third slice of pizza down as the scent clung to her nose. The scent that screamed wolfblood, and not just any wolfblood. _Rhydian._


	6. Reunion

Chapter 6 - Reunion

Maddy's wolf keened, a heart-rending fullness that seemed to thread through her soul. She leapt out of her chair and could barely marshal the semblance of control to fling words at Jared and Lyssa as she left. "Wait here. I'll be back."

She rushed from the café, out into the frosted perfection of the Canadian night. The moon's pallor seemed to light the way especially for her as the wolfblood girl followed her nose, doggedly pursuing the trail even as her heartbeat sped up to match the hope enflaming her veins, her mind. _Rhydian is here. My Rhydian._ She sprinted up the slope behind the lodge, the scent so strong now that she could practically see it as well as smell it.

The slender wolfblood girl skidded to a halt, aware of two shining beacons enshrouded in the forest. She watched as a sleek, beautiful sandy-colored wolf with creamy patches of fur strode from the darkness and into the moon's spotlight, its eyes fixated on her alone.

Rhydian lunged at her, knocking her over in his enthusiasm as her eyes yellowed, her hands grasping at the scruff of his neck as she hugged him with all her might.

"Rhydian!" she cried, sobbing not with sorrow, but in the delirium of joy. She hugged him tighter as he shifted into human form, his mouth finding hers. Their lips pressed together, her arms around his shoulders pulling him in even closer as he cupped her head and kissed softly, tenderly, then more and more urgently, a smoldering passion that became unquenchable. The two teenagers lay in the snow kissing each other senseless, as if time itself had to retract its sway over the world in the wake of two lovers reunited.

There were still tears in Maddy's eyes as Rhydian drew back, his hand stroking wild tendrils of her wispy hair away from that cute, angelic, somehow mesmerizing face.

"Maddy…I told you I'd find you. I love you so much, Maddy, enough to be driven crazy without you and _do_ crazy if that's what it takes to be with you. I missed you more than…" He swallowed, his eyes misting over as his bottom lip twitched. "More than words can ever say." She was laughing underneath him, crying and laughing at the same time now. She sensed the wolf inside herself yearning to howl to the moon in triumph. She cupped Rhydian's right cheek with one hand and told him the only thing that mattered.

"I love you too, Rhydian. The last three months without you have been the hardest I've ever known. As awful as this's been, being ripped away from you taught me what I was never willing to own up to before. You're the other half of my soul, Rhydian. You're my Rhydian, and you always will be." The young wolfblood rolled over, taking Maddy with him. She rested her head on his chest now, watching Rhydian's breath fog up the crisp night air.

She burrowed into his jacket, relishing the rich scent of Rhydian as it filled her nose and with it, seemingly, her very spirit. This was what she had been missing for the past three months and more. This was the void in her heart that had been throbbing fiercely or aching quietly, but seemed never destined to heal…until now.

Yet despite the fierce love between the two young wolfbloods, reality slowly reasserted its dominance. Even if theirs was a potent, mind-altering love, it wasn't immune to the effects of the world. Slowly, reluctantly, Maddy voiced the tiny concerns that pushed in to dispel the perfect moment.

"Rhydian, how did you find me? How did you even get here?"

Rhydian's eyes were still drunk with love, with tenderness. "Eolas. I told you that nothing could ever stop me from finding you one day. Today is that day. I love you, Maddy, and I came for you just as I said I would. Will you come with me?"

The crunch of snow beneath their bodies seemed suddenly deafening to Maddy as she shifted, her nose burrowing against his chest again for one more reassuring pull of his essence before she had to face reality—the reality of what he asked and what she could give.

Suddenly inspiration hit her. _No…. I'm not coming back down to earth, not just yet._ She put her fingertip to Rhydian's lips before he could say more. Her devilish grin ended with wicked words.

"Run with me." She morphed with fluid grace, her tawny-colored wolf leaping silently toward the woods. Within a few breaths she could feel his aura behind her, his determined pursuit as she hopped a fallen tree and scampered across a shallow stream. She glanced back, heard his howl of frustration as the chase escalated. Her wolf laughed with glee as she frustrated his pursuit by randomly changing course, doubling back and kicking up dirt with her lithe strides as she dashed along the bank of a moonlit creek.

An ordinary gray wolf bared its teeth at Maddy as she exploded through a cluster of vegetation, catching the animal by surprise. The creature was more stubborn than wise, lunging at Maddy with a snarl. Right away Rhydian was by her side, chomping into the wolf's flank. The ill-tempered brute growled and tried to shake Rhydian off, moving to clamp its own canines on Rhydian's shoulder, but Maddy lunged at the beast like a fork of lightning, sinking her teeth deeply in one of its legs.

The lone wolf squealed in pain and pulled frantically away. Rhydian let go of the animal's side and Maddy released her grip too, not wanting to cause it permanent harm. The rogue wolf slipped away into a patch of dense foliage and disappeared. When it seemed safe Maddy changed into human form, panting and a little disoriented. Rhydian was human too, and he lassoed her by the waist, twisting her around to have a good look at her. His hands traced her face, her shoulders and arms, before gliding up her sides as he examined her critically for any sign of wounds.

"It's OK, Rhydian. I'm all right." Maddy gasped as he pulled her in for a savage kiss, a kiss that seemed to be Rhydian's wolf saying _I protect what's mine!_ After the kiss she sighed and wrapped her arms around his middle, snuggling against him as he enfolded her too.

"If he'd hurt you…" Rhydian let the implied threat stand on its own, and then he clasped Maddy's hands and took a small step back so that he could study her face.

"Well he didn't, and I'm fine. That was amazing." Maddy smiled at him, at the boy who made her heart so full, brimming in a way she couldn't properly describe.

Soberly she said the thing that needed asking though, returning to reality.

"You want to tell me what this's about now? You showing up out of nowhere and asking me to come with you?"

His smile faltered, and Rhydian scratched at his short-cropped head of blonde hair before he shifted on his feet. "I'm sorry Mads. I got carried away. That all came out wrong."

Maddy felt a tightness in her chest, and she rushed out the words without thinking. "Because if you expect me to just up and leave with you, without consulting my parents or considering their wishes…or mine for that matter…."

"No! Maddy, no. That's not what I'm asking of you." Rhydian took a deep breath and looked Maddy squarely in the eye. "It's a long story, but here's the shortened version. The Vaughns know I'm here, they gave their permission."

Maddy's eyes widened.

"Yes. They think I'm here visiting my birth father. They arranged with the head teacher for me to take off 4 whole weeks! I came here to try to find you since we'd received the message that you and your family had safely made the move to Canada."

Maddy bit her lip and frowned. "What about Dr. Whitewood? She'll know you left, won't she? She must have suspected you since you were close to me."

Rhydian threw her a sloppy grin, gripping her by the shoulders and shaking her. "That's just it, Mads! Whitewood is taken care of. I met a wolfblood woman who works for a multinational genetics company, the same one who passed the message to us about you and your family. They hired Whitewood, gave her an offer she couldn't refuse. Whitewood's reputation in her field is ruined, and working for wolfblood geneticists is the only way she'll be able to do what she loves. She's agreed to it, Maddy. She has no more reason to try to steal your DNA. It's true. You don't have to look over your shoulder anymore."

Somehow Rhydian's momentous news only deepened Maddy's frown.

"When did this happen?"

"A month ago. When we didn't hear anything from you and when your family didn't return, well, I got worried. That's when I decided to come find you."

Maddy's brow furrowed. "So what, you just decided you would come to Canada?"

"Not quite that easy. I got in touch with my mum." _Ceri had a hand in this?_ The thought put Maddy on edge. "She's changed a lot, Maddy. Her experience with Jana pretending to be human has made her more appreciative of the benefits of interacting in the human world. She disguised herself, introduced herself to the Vaughns as my real mother and convinced them to let me come here."

"Okay…so wait a second. You're sure that my parents received the message about everything that's been happening in Stoneybridge?" Gnawing away at Maddy like an army of termites was the thought that her parents had known about the Dr. Whitewood situation getting resolved and not told her. If it was true, then that left the all-important question— _why?_ She and her family could return home to Stoneybridge, couldn't they? What was stopping them?

Rhydian sensed Maddy's anxiety and confusion. He gently rubbed the back of her neck and nuzzled the side of her face.

"It's all right, Mads. We'll figure this out."

"What if my parents lied to me?" Maybe it wasn't a lie exactly, but in Maddy's mind it was a lie of omission and that was just as damning.

"They might not have, Mads. Maybe the message somehow never reached them. They may not even know about it."

Maddy's mind whirled with the possibilities, contemplating the options. She ran a hand through her hair as she bit her lip.

"Putting my parents aside for now, what's your overall plan in showing up here? I'm overjoyed Rhydian, I truly am, but I need to know where we go from here."

Rhydian gave her a serious look. He took her by the hands and sat down, pulling her onto his lap. His arms kept away the chill as she snuggled against him for warmth, nuzzling his neck in a way that echoed her wolf.

"My mum and brother have joined a new pack led by a wolfblood named Sebastian. Sebastian believes in a wolfblood community hidden among humans, interacting with humans but protected from human society. He's established it up in the Northwest Territories, calls it Grey Haven. He's given it a religious pretext just to keep the wolfblood-centered purpose of it disguised. It's wolfbloods who can be around humans without wolfing out, but at the same time they live day-to-day in the compound, separate from humans. They're taught to blend in with humans while privately staying true to their wolfblood natures. I guess you could call it a hybrid approach somewhere between the lifestyles of tame wolves and wild wolves."

Maddy looked up into Rhydian's loving eyes, nervous about where he was headed with all this.

"So you're saying that we should go and live there, with your mum's pack?"

"Mmm-hmm. That's exactly what I'm saying, Mads. There we could live as we were truly meant to! Without having to constantly live in fear."

"What about the Vaughns?"

"Sebastian has the contacts needed to keep outsiders from snooping around in Grey Haven. Even if the Vaughns look for me, they won't find me. When I age out of the foster care system it will all be moot anyway. In a few years I can go back to Stoneybridge and mend fences, convince the Vaughns that everything turned out for the best. End of story."

This was a lot for Maddy to taken in. She took in a ragged breath of the chilly air. She rested her head against Rhydian's shoulder. For a time she just listened to his heartbeat. He let out a rueful laugh.

"I forgot how much I've missed the smell of your hair." He took a deep, reverent breath, taking in her scent. His hand rubbed the small of her back, distracting Maddy from what had to be said.

"Rhydian, this is a lot to ask. My family has finally started to feel at home here, even though I know it won't ever be what Stoneybridge was to us. But I'm not sure my parents will go for this, and it's not just their misgivings that matter. I've got plenty of my own. I don't know this Sebastian. What kind of alpha is he? Have you even met him?"

Rhydian looked away as a shadow crossed his face. "No….I've only spoken to him through my mum."

_Great, so if we do this we'll be placing all of our trust in Ceri._ Maddy didn't hate Rhydian's mum, but their history was a rocky one. It wasn't that Maddy didn't trust Ceri's intentions, it was Ceri's judgment she was worried about.

Maddy traced a finger along Rhydian's jaw, repeating the slight caress.

"I don't know, Rhydian. I've already pulled up roots and started over with nothing. I'm not sure I want to do it again so soon."

"But you won't be starting over with nothing. You'll have me," Rhydian said, giving her a sensual kiss, his hot breath mingling with hers.

As he drew back she slowly shook her head. "That's not it and you know it. Even if I'm willing to do this, what if my parents refuse? I don't want to leave them like that. Let's do the simpler solution instead. The one that lets us fully reunite our old pack—to be with Shannon and Tom too."

Rhydian paused, weighing her words before he slowly nodded. "I can live with that. We can all return to Stoneybridge together. Tom and Shannon miss you almost as much as I did."

Maddy brightened, giving Rhydian a firm kiss before she stepped out of his lap and looked up at the lightly scarred face of the moon. "It's settled then. We'll go to my parents and tell them about everything that's happened in Stoneybridge. We'll return to England and be a proper pack again."

Rhydian scrambled up beside her, their hands entwining as he gave her shoulder an affectionate bump.

"What does my alpha girl want to do next?"

"Are you up for another run?"

Rhydian's eyes yellowed as he threw her a wolfish grin.

"What do you think?"

Even as she shifted into her wolf though, stray anxieties lingered. _What if my parents knew about Whitewood? What if they lied to me?_ What would that mean? If they had kept something from her and she and Rhydian confronted Emma and Daniel with what they knew, Maddy was pretty sure that they would find out.


	7. Half-truths

Chapter 7 - Half-truths

Maddy let her wolf indulge, roaming through the eerily quiet wood with Rhydian at her side. Together they scampered and hurtled here, there, and everywhere like furry banshees so that only the wind had a prayer of catching them. At last they somersaulted headlong over a steep embankment and morphed back into their human selves, Maddy laughing and grinning ear to ear. Rhydian brushed the leaves from her face and tasted her, their kiss enfolding delicately as Maddy felt Rhydian's hands slip underneath the back of her fleece and tank top, caressing her bare skin.

Maddy was prepared to put him in his place, drunk as she was on his scent, his very touch. She was still an alpha female, and she had always felt this unspoken understanding between them about certain boundaries. In an odd way the inner wolf was sometimes wiser than the hormone-addled human, and Maddy and Rhydian's inner wolves had a tacit agreement when it came to intimacy. If and when sex did come, it would only come when they were both ready for it—both able to open themselves up to that ultimate vulnerability with eyes wide open. Their wolves knew it even if they did not. They weren't ready—not yet, and maybe not for a long while—and that was totally OK.

"Rhydian…" Maddy drew back, smirking at the boy she was more than addicted to and loving the sound of the name as it left her lips. "Rhydian…you have a leaf stuck above your ear that makes you look like a homeless elf." She giggled as Rhydian flung it away.

"Good job, smelly girl, way to ruin the moment. You and your wolfy sense of humor." Rhydian's blue eyes yellowed again, the dark iris flashing with impatience as he stroked the back of his hand along her cheek and finally, with feather-like softness, traced her lips with his fingers. "Do you know what I think about sometimes?"

Maddy unzipped the front of her fleece, feeling overheated from their dash through the wood. She shook her head, suddenly feeling shy at the intensity of his gaze.

"No…What?"

"I think about the moment I first started to fall in love with you."

"There was a single moment?" Maddy blushed, her eyes searching his for any sign of a cruel joke.

"Yes. Do you know why I remember it so well?"

Maddy glared at him. "You know I don't. Stop bottling it all up to tease and tantalize. Just tell me." The impatience and excitement in her voice seemed to spur a secretive smile from the wolfblood boy.

"You were explaining to Shannon and Tom why they couldn't shun me after my first day at school, after I'd destroyed the photography room wolfing out thanks to Jimi's hazing. You remember?"

Maddy brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Like I could ever forget."

"And then you said the words that made me start to fall in love with you, Maddy Smith."

Maddy frowned, searching her memory. Like a star player missing the shot at the final second, she came up empty.

"Mads, you said to me…You said— _Rhydian's a part of my life now, and that's that_. The expression on your face, the acceptance in your eyes…" Rhydian shook his head and grasped Maddy's hand, placing it over his heart. "From that point on you gutted all my defenses."

Rhydian's somber mood slid into a sheepish grin, his cheesy declaration making her giggle right along with him. Soon the two young wolfbloods had cuddled together again, looking up at the moon. Maddy felt Rhydian's chin nestled on top of her head, his broad shoulders and arms wrapping her up like a tiny, protective world all its own. But it couldn't last…especially when a new thought struck like a fatal bolt—the thought that made her whole body stiffen.

_Jared._

"Mads, what's wrong?"

Maddy hastily got to her feet, thinking fast. How long had they been out here? Jared and his friends would wonder what happened to her! As her mind reeled a bit with the thought that she'd totally ditched a boy who'd been only kind to her, she also thought about her parents…about the need to find out what they knew about Dr. Whitewood. Too many things were swirling together, and at first she didn't know what to tell Rhydian.

Was it wise to tell your love-struck wolfblood boyfriend who'd traveled the length of an ocean and hundreds of miles of wilderness that you were dating someone else, even if it was just for show? Maddy considered the possibility of Rhydian's wolf going all homicidal overprotective, and a less than tiny part of her worried for Jared's safety.

But….

_This isn't some stupid romance novel, Mads. You owe Rhydian the truth, the sooner the better._

"I need to get back to my friends at the lodge. They'll be worried, wondering what's happened to me."

Rhydian shrugged. "All right. Shall I meet you at your house then?"

"Rhydian, there's something I have to tell you." The male wolfbood's brow furrowed. She knew he could sense her unease. Wolfbloods were many things, but oblivious was not one of them.

"I made a good friend here, his name's Jared. He…he likes me. He wanted to date me." Maddy's heart stopped as Rhydian's hands blackened on the way to stretching into talons, his heart rate catapulting one way—up. "But we're friends, Rhydian, and that's all we are. He knows I don't see him as anything more, even if…" _Even if he's all confidence and optimistic that he can win me over. Best that I don't mention that._ Maddy hesitated, letting the half-truth stand. _I've told Rhydian enough…he doesn't have to find out about the fake-dating arrangement._

Maddy would cancel her and Jared's little arrangement privately, and that would be that.

"Look, please don't ruin this for me? I don't want to burn my bridges here, even if we are returning to Stoneybridge. I want to keep Jared as a friend."

Rhydian growled, a half-human sound well on the way to becoming all-out wolf.

"Rhydian!" Maddy's hackles were up as she growled right back. The two wolfbloods squared off, snarling at each other as Maddy's gaze skewered him like a pair of knives. Gradually, painfully, the wolfblood boy backed down, muttering under his breath.

"You don't have to like him but you do have to be civil. You know how I feel about you. He's not a rival, Rhydian. Do a favor for both of us and listen to your human side on this one. Please?" Maddy's plaintive tone finally seemed to break the stubborn wall Rhydian had thrown up. The teenage boy shrugged and jerked his head to the side with a grunt.

"OK. Fine. I'll play nice. There. You happy?"

Maddy darted forward, sliding her hand up his jeans and fisting it in his shirt collar, yanking him forward for a kiss that left him light-headed and dizzy.

"Mmm-hmm…and when I'm happy, you're happy, right?"

Rhydian groaned the immortal sound that all males made in the throes of thwarted passion and wisely left it at that.

Maddy stepped back and began to prance away before suddenly swiveling back. "Oh, and one more thing. I've changed my mind about tonight. We're not going to tell my parents outright about Dr. Whitewood."

"We're not?"

The wolfblood girl shook her head, her brown hair rustling like silk. "No. You wait outside of scent range near the house and I'll come find you when I'm ready. I don't want my parents to know you're here. Not _yet_."

"Mads," Rhydian protested, "what are you going on about?"

"Shush. I have a plan."


	8. Broken Trust

Chapter 8 - Broken Trust

Maddy set her plan in motion by hurrying back to where she and Rhydian had fought off the lone wolf. She turned into wolf form and thoroughly rolled around in the animal's scent, then morphed back into human before sprinting through the wood back to Maya's. By the time she made it back to the café it was almost closing time.

Moments after she walked into the warmly lit café, as soon as those double doors closed behind her, a voice slammed into her from behind.

"That's not very nice of you."

Maddy turned to see who'd spoken to her. He was a compact, muscular boy who wore glasses, and his eyes shone with a certain intensity. If her friend Shannon from Stoneybridge was the embodiment of 'geeky yet courageous' this guy seemed a close kin to her. He scowled at Maddy, but somehow it made him look more adorable than forbidding.

"Look, my friend Jared really likes you. If you're going to just ditch him like this…not cool. If you don't want to go out with him, just say so."

Maddy's memory gave her a jolt as she pieced it together. This had to be the other best friend Jared had spoken about….

"You're…Mason?"

"Just call me Mace."

Maddy nodded, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she peeked a glance over at the half-empty table where Jared and Lyssa still sat waiting for her. She sighed, feeling like the jerk Mace had just accused her of being.

"Mace, I'm sorry. I'm…ugh…where do I even start? Tonight's been full of surprises. I didn't mean to be rude, I really didn't. Can we start over?" She held out her hand.

Reluctantly Mace took it, muttering, "Maybe. We'll see." He sounded a little like a grouchy younger brother, and it kind of made Maddy like him that much more.

"All right, Mace, come on. Let's see if we can cheer Jared up." She snuck up on Jared from behind. Just as she approached she saw the cold pizza on the plates, the combination of restlessness, worry, and resignation on Jared's face. The sight made her feel guilty and she acted impulsively.

She plopped onto Jared's lap and leaned back, giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Hey you."

"Hey," Jared glowered. Where were you?"

"Sorry…. I saw an old friend. I had to say hi and we went out to get some air and, uh, talk for a bit." She felt Jared shift restlessly underneath her, knew that her answer wasn't going to satisfy. So she decided to elaborate with a half-truth or two.

"Actually, as we were walking out by the woods we ran into a wolf and it tried to bite me."

Jared tensed, and for the first time he looked more worried than upset at her.

"I'm surprised you can't smell its stink on me. My friend and I scared it off, but not before I fell on the ground where I think it may have…um…marked its territory."

Jared rolled his eyes. "Are you serious?! You have wolf pee on you and you decided to sit in my lap?!" Lyssa and Mace were rolling out of their chairs laughing. _Mission accomplished_ Maddy thought smugly. _Damn I'm good._

The boy gently shoved her off of him and gave Maddy a close once-over before asking if she was all right. "You're sure you weren't bitten, Maddy? I can take you to the hospital if you want. My dad has had some close shaves with boars, wolves, and even bears, so believe me, I know that you can't be too cautious. A wild animal is a dangerous animal. That wolf might have had rabies. Are you absolutely sure he didn't break the skin?" Jared's concern made Maddy feel guilty about what she had to do, breaking it off with him. She wasn't looking forward to Monday, not by a longshot. But it could wait for now. She didn't want to break up with him right after treating him so poorly and ditching him at dinner.

"I'm fine, Jared. Look, see? Pristine skin." She held out her hands and twirled around. "I just feel bad for leaving you guys wondering what happened to me."

"As you should. I was about to go out looking for you." Lyssa nodded and Mace grunted his two cents.

"Lyssa told me I should just leave you for dead, but—"

"I did not!'

"Aww, cut it out guys," Mace groaned. "Can we just go back to your place, Jared? You promised a round of pool, yeah? Team play, you and your new girlfriend versus me and Lyssa." Mace eyed Maddy like she was prey, like he was looking forward to crushing her.

_Someone has a competitive streak_ Maddy grinned. Her inner wolf bared its teeth. _Bring it._

But she couldn't, not with Rhydian waiting for her and answers that needed finding. She had an appointment with a certain mum and dad, and she _would_ get the truth out of them even if it drove her wild.

"Sorry, guys. I need to be home. Tomorrow I'm grounded, remember?"

Lyssa made a pouty face and Mace just grunted sympathetically.

"Yeah, that sucks."

"Rain check?" Lyssa said hopefully. "You can't suck nearly as bad as Sabrina."

"Guys. Please, no more Sabrina references!" Jared's protesting tone made Maddy smile. She liked the dynamics of this group, the familiarity and the closeness. A group that could tease one another and make fun of each other without resorting to anger, _that_ had the makings of a good pack.

Maddy suddenly found it hard to know what to do with Jared. She was just getting to know him, to make a few new friends here in Swan Hill. Would breaking up with him make him want to totally reject her? How could she make him understand that really she just wanted his friendship, that _that_ was meaningful and enough for her? If he was truly as self-assured as he claimed, he should be OK with that. But he was a boy… and even from Maddy's admittedly sparse experience in the realm of romance, she knew that boys and egos could be as brittle as glass.

"OK, let's go." Jared got up from the table and took Maddy's hand. Even this brief contact skin to skin made Maddy feel a renewed surge of guilt. _If Rhydian were here right now..._ and the thought made Maddy shudder.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just cold." Maddy groaned inwardly as Jared draped an arm around her shoulders and helped her zip up her fleece. His eyes lingered on her tank top for just a second longer than necessary.

"Better?"

Maddy nodded.

She accompanied Jared to his car, riding shotgun with Lyssa and Mace in the back. Tiny snowflakes drifted under the starry night sky as the temperature continued to plummet. Jared blasted the heat vents, pointing them in Maddy's direction. The closer they got to her house to drop her off, the more she gnawed on her bottom lip.

She knew what she had to do, but she was frightened of what she might find. When they finally arrived at the cobblestone driveway Maddy jumped out before Jared could try to kiss or even touch her. She glanced at him guiltily.

"See you tomorrow." She turned, didn't look back to see the boy's disappointment. Her mind was already focused elsewhere.

When she opened the front door Daniel was in the kitchen making his favorite chocolate chip nut cake recipe. The kitchen aromas caressed Maddy's nose, nearly derailing her resolve. Meanwhile Emma was shoving in a fresh batch of sugar cookies—prepared from scratch. The whole damn place smelled of sugary baked heavenly goodness. Maddy reeled with the intertwining scents. Her wolf was salivating.

_Focus!_

Sometimes her parents had these little bake-fests together. It was one of those bonding activities for them that Maddy thought was really cute. Her parents truly did love each other and this was one of the ways they showed it. But tonight of all nights, with her needing answers, _ugh_ , it just seemed to make it all that much harder. Maddy knew that she'd feel like the bad guy for ruining the tranquil atmosphere. Sometimes you had to make sacrifices though.

"Hey kiddo," Daniel said. "You're back early."

He and Emma exchanged a look.

"How did your night out with Jared go?"

"Good for the most part. I really like Jared's friends. They're…different." She grinned as she realized that the idea of hanging out with them definitely raised her spirits. "But that's not what I need to talk to you about."

Before she could say another word though, that was when the stench of the lone wolf hit both of her parents at full-force. They both dropped what they were doing and stared at her.

"It's OK, guys. Don't freak out."

"We're the only wolfbloods supposed to be in this town, Maddy," Emma said. "It's not freaking out when we have an intruder. What happened?"

Maddy sighed. So much for her game plan. "It was a normal wolf, not a wolfblood Mum! And I scared it off before it could hurt me."

Daniel wrinkled his nose and made a gagging sound. "Did you scare it off before or after you wrestled with it? Maddy, you reek of its scent!"

"I know, I know. Look, I'll go up and shower and get a change of clothes, but then I really do need to talk to you guys about something important. Okay?!" Maddy's impatience must have shown through with crystal clarity because both of her parents dutifully nodded.

"OK, Maddy. We'll be here when you're ready."

Maddy skipped upstairs two to three steps at a time and flung her clothes in the hamper as soon as she could wriggle out of them. A quick, cleansing bout in the hot shower later, and she was in her joggers and an old Bradlington High photography club t-shirt. She walked down the stairs just as her dad was checking the oven temperature and staring impatiently at the chocolate chip nut cake. The sugar cookies were also baking, and both of her parents could give her their undivided attention.

"So, what's this all about sweetie?" Emma sat at the breakfast bar and Daniel took a seat beside her. For a second, seeing both of her parents in such good humor made her feel bad for even suspecting them. But with a sigh she bit her lip, closed her eyes, and said to herself _Maddy you've got to do this_.

"I need to ask you guys about Dr. Whitewood."

"What about her?" Daniel said.

"If she wasn't a threat anymore, we could go back, right? Back to Stoneybridge."

Daniel scratched his chin and looked away. Maddy could tell that Emma had just kneed him behind the counter because he suddenly jolted and met her eyes.

"Maddy, of course if Stoneybridge was safe again we'd go back. We know you miss your mates and your teachers there. We know this is hard and if there was any other way, believe me, we would go back to live where our ancestors have lived for centuries." He paused. "Where is this question coming from exactly?"

Maddy slowly tilted her head, giving her parents an odd look.

"Wait…. You didn't answer my question." She upped her look to a pointed stare. "I asked about Dr. Whitewood and you changed the subject. What if Dr. Whitewood were no longer a threat? Her _specifically_. We could go back. Right?" Maddy folded her arms and looked at her parents expectantly. Her heart sank even before Emma replied.

Emma got up from behind the counter and came over to Maddy. She put an arm around Maddy's shoulders and stroked her daughter's silky hair with her other hand as if to soften the blow Maddy sensed coming.

"About three weeks ago, Maddy, we received some news." Maddy stiffened. "It happens to be true that Dr. Whitewood has been effectively gagged. She's working for wolfbloods now and her success is bound to them. She herself is not a threat, sweetie. But it's not that simple."

"It is that simple," Maddy bit out stubbornly. She looked up at her mum, eyes flashing.

"Honey," Daniel joined in, "even with Dr. Whitewood out of the picture, things in Stoneybridge are far from ideal. Your classmate Liam and his family still live in the area."

_Liam…the creep who broke into our den and nearly exposed us._ Maddy had managed to fool Liam by having her parents pose as 'tame' pet timber wolves, but it would be presumptuous to say that he'd been completely convinced. The obnoxious sod claimed a 'werewolf hunter' as an ancestor. There was no telling what Liam believed or if he secretly hoped for another chance to expose Maddy and her family.

All that swirled through Maddy's mind, but somehow it didn't add up to what her parents had chosen for her—and the calculation in Maddy's head took other things into account, things her parents were blind to.

"Mum. Dad." She tried to gather in her anger. "You should have told me about Dr. Whitewood."

Emma rubbed her shoulder and brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "We didn't want to upset you, Maddy."

"Well, epic failure on that one, yeah?" Maddy shrugged angrily out of Emma's embrace and put a meter of space between them. "Look, you guys are trying to protect us, but you can't protect us from everything. Risks are everywhere we go! We can't be constantly on the run."

"Mads, we'll get settled here. You're adjusting. We all are. Just give it some time," Daniel offered.

Maddy exploded, throwing her arms out wide. "Time? Is that the difference between us? I think time is precious. Every second we sit here, hunkering down in fear abandoning our hearth and home and pack, I don't call that 'adjusting' or 'settling in.' I call it failure. I call it broken." Maddy wiped a glistening eye, preventing the tear. "You two lied to me. You're protecting me from things when—guess what?—I'm old enough that it's no longer just your decision to make!"

The wolfblood girl felt her wolf growling, crying out. She harnessed it, barely, using it to fuel her next words.

"Take us back, or if you won't go back then let _me_ go back, finish up my schooling and be with my mates."

Daniel shook his head sadly. "You know we can't do that Maddy."

Maddy glared at them both. Her chest felt ready to burst. Her hands curved inward like claws. _Listen to your wolf_ Maddy thought. _Let it free._

She took a deep, steadying breath.

Emma's eyes were yellowing. Sensing her daughter's displeasure, she was asserting her own dominance.

"Maddy…" Emma warned.

Maddy's eyes turned the same shade of skin-prickling yellow. She let out a hiss, pulled back from the brink just barely.

"Go to your room young lady."

"No." And just like that, Maddy gave her wolf free reign. Growling and snapping, she morphed into wolf form and leapt.


	9. Hard Choices

Chapter 9 - Hard Choices

Maddy's wolf roared in anger, restless and anxious as she leapt over the kitchen island, knocking over a ceramic vase. With a crash the pieces scattered across the tiled floor. Daniel and Emma both shouted at her, both of them about to change too, their faces twisted and blackening with the transformation.

"Madeline Smith!" Emma's full authority as alpha lashed at Maddy like a whip. The aura of dominance carried through the room like a palpable force. Maddy backed up toward the stairs on her four legs, growling half-heartedly for one last stand. Then she turned and fled up the stairs, rushing through the half-open doorway of her bedroom. She nudged the door shut and leapt up onto her bed, her wolf settling in with dejected eyes as she rested her snout on her paws.

She lay there like that for the next, well, she had no idea how long. The night deepened and the sounds of owls, toads, and insects echoed in the woods, taunting her through the open window. She had no choice but to wait…wait until her parents were asleep before she slipped out and found Rhydian. Poor Rhydian who was waiting for her and probably wondering what on earth had happened.

It was all supposed to go much differently. The worst case scenario was that her parents would confess what they hadn't told her about Dr. Whitewood, and then their guilt over having lied to her by omission was supposed to have compelled them to agree with Maddy to go back to Stoneybridge. How simple and naïve that expectation had been, Maddy realized.

_Everything that's happened in Stoneybridge hasn't stayed in Stoneybridge. It's affected us as a family._ Since the close shave with Dr. Whitewood there had been a subtle but seismic shift—her parents more protective now, hyper-vigilant. Part of Maddy understood that, sympathized with that. But a deeper part of her spirit couldn't be satisfied with what they had. _I won't cut people out of my life because of fear. I won't cut out the people who matter to me, even if there is a risk._

She fell asleep agonizing over how to handle what she saw as her parents' betrayal and narrow-minded thinking. She fell asleep to troubled, half-coherent dreams….

" _Maddy_." There was a gentle nudge as Maddy realized she'd returned to human form and that someone was with her on the bed. An arm slipped around her waist, an arm that carried Rhydian's scent. His warmth clung to the length of her back as he lay beside her, and his nose buried in her hair as he took in a quiet breath.

"Are you awake?"

She turned over, smiling sadly. "Am now, you goofball." She traced one of his eyelids with her finger and then strained forward for a light, delicate kiss, their lips joining as his scent seemed to seep into her pores. When she broke the kiss, her sad look must have told him everything.

"So…things didn't go smashingly well with the parents, eh?"

Maddy laughed softly. "They did go smashingly—I wolfed out on them and broke my mum's prized vase from Derbyshire. But no, not in the good sense. It was awful, Rhydian. My fears were realized, and to make it even worse they say they won't let us return to Stoneybridge."

"Why not?" Maddy proceeded to tell Rhydian everything. After she'd finished giving him the gory details, she nuzzled his neck, burrowing into his chest with a sigh, letting his simple presence comfort her. She gave him time to absorb it all, and for a few minutes there was just their quiet breathing and the pair of heartbeats of two young wolfbloods deep in thought.

"Any bright ideas?" Maddy asked, still too emotional to think about their next course of action. Her parents' betrayal was a little too fresh.

Rhydian put a finger under Maddy's chin and tipped her face up to look at him. "Don't put up the white flag yet, Mads. We have options, you know."

Maddy's eyes flashed with resolve. "So we do. I could you take you up on the original plan. We could go up to the Northwest Territories just like you said, join your mum's pack."

"No Mads…"

"What?" Her brow furrowed. "But that was _your_ idea."

"I know, Mads, and I've had a chance to reconsider it. Look, I don't want to create some lasting rift between you and your parents. Even if they are misguided, they're still your parents and they love you to pieces. I also think things aren't that desperate, not _yet_. Now what we _can_ do is use the possibility of joining Sebastian's pack as leverage."

"Leverage?" Maddy's eyes narrowed. An evil little grin broke out on her face and gave her that impish look. "You mean threaten to leave and join Sebastian's pack if they don't accede to my wishes?" Maddy brightened.

Rhydian laughed softly as he took Maddy's hand and squeezed it. "Not exactly. I don't want to force an epic confrontation. I think I see a way we can all win though. If your parents vouched for me staying in Canada to visit and get to know my non-existent birth father for a semester, I think the Vaughns would be okay with it. I say we use the leverage of joining Sebastian's pack so that your parents will help and let me stay."

Maddy bit her lip. "That's dangerous, Rhydian. My parents won't like being coerced or lying to your foster parents. You realize that this'll have to seem like it's coming completely from me, not you. They've always liked you, Rhydian, and I don't want things between you and them to be strained. Sooner or later they have to realize that you're part of my future."

"I know." Rhydian nodded, caressing Maddy's face and sliding his fingers through her satin-soft hair.

"OK, so let's discuss details," Maddy said eagerly. "Let's talk about how we're going to ambush my parents with our little ultimatum."

With an answering grin Rhydian nodded, and the two wolfbloods began their work in earnest.

Everything was carefully planned, like tactics laid out before a battle. Except in this case the battlefield was the Smiths' house and surroundings. Maddy woke up early. Rhydian had stayed a while to cuddle and talk some more before roughing it wolf-style in the woods. They hadn't wanted her parents to catch his scent, so he'd slipped out as secretively as he'd come, leaving through Maddy's bedroom window.

Now the early morning clouds looked as if they'd been painted with a golden brush. Maddy gingerly took out the cinnamon buns from the oven and buttered them. She flipped over the scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage links, sliding them onto two large plates and setting them on the breakfast bar. The smells crept up the stairs like scouts luring in the enemy. Soon Emma and Daniel were bustling about upstairs. Maddy washed her hands and set out the napkins and silverware. Her heart fluttered and her stomach twisted in knots. This was it.

She walked over to the kitchen window, opening it, letting in the cool morning breeze and, more importantly, giving Rhydian the sign to be ready.

"Maddy?" She turned around to see her dad looking dumbfounded at the two plates as if they were too good to be true.

"I made you guys breakfast."

Maddy had dressed in a short-sleeved sky blue and peach summer top with tight-fitting jeans, and her emerald earrings brought out the color in her eyes. She looked nothing like the t-shirt and jogger-wearing late-rising Maddy who her parents were used to seeing.

"What's all this?" Emma came down the stairs, her turn to be shocked.

"Like I said, I made you guys breakfast. Eat up." She ran up to her mum and gave her a big hug, then did the same to her dad. One of those looks passed between her parents, and the subtext couldn't have been more obvious; _what's our daughter plotting?_

"Sorry, I forgot the coffee." Maddy cringed apologetically as her parents began to eat, waking up more with each bite.

Finally, once their human stomachs and wolves had been satisfied, Emma put down her fork and gave her daughter a more scrutinizing look.

"That was very kind of you to make us breakfast."

"I felt guilty about last night," Maddy admitted. "I shouldn't have wolfed out on you guys like that. Also, I think I might know a good compromise."

"Compromise?" Emma shot Daniel a warning look, and her dad shrugged as if to say _Let's hear her out at least_.

"If you guys are finished, I'd like to show you something. Come outside with me please." Emma and Daniel cautiously followed their daughter to the meadow out back. Standing in the meadow they looked at her curiously. Understanding only dawned on them when a large, sandy-toned and-cream-colored wolf moved sleekly from the shade of the pine trees.

As Rhydian came to greet them both parents gaped. Rhydian morphed into his human form, nodding politely to each of them.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I came to visit with Maddy yesterday. I apologize for any trouble I've caused. I hope you don't mind me visiting?"

Emma's expression softened immediately once she overcame her shock. "Of course we don't mind, Rhydian. You're welcome to come see us any time. How did you find us though, and—"

"Mum, I promise you he's here with the Vaughns' permission, more or less. We can get into that soon enough. I brought you out here because I have a proposal for you and Dad."

Even Daniel looked alarmed now. "What kind of proposal, Maddy?"

Both of her parents were staring at her, their bearing on the cusp of changing from neutral to defensive.

"I've been thinking a lot about what you said last night, and you guys were right. Moving back to Stoneybridge might be too dangerous still. I can even see how you guys were just trying to protect me." She paused, ready to let that other shoe drop. " _But_ , I also don't think it's right to isolate ourselves. Rhydian has permission to stay 4 weeks in Canada. His mum made the arrangements with Mrs. Vaughn." When her parents' eyes widened in total shock, she hurried on.

"I'd like Rhydian to stay with us for a semester. Between you two, Rhydian, and Ceri I know that something can be worked out to the Vaughns' satisfaction."

"What kind of arrangement are we talking about?" Emma asked.

"It may involve you needing to tell a few half-truths," Maddy hedged. "The Vaughns think that Rhydian is here to visit with his birth dad, but obviously they won't be happy with the thought of him _staying_ with his birth dad since they're his foster parents and they don't even know him. But they _do_ trust you guys and would be OK with Rhydian staying with us. So that's what I'm asking, for my sake. Please?" The slender wolfblood girl turned to Rhydian, clasping his hand tightly as she faced her parents. "Mum and Dad, I love Rhydian, and he loves me. This would mean a lot to me, for you guys to help us be together."

Daniel's face softened and Emma's expression looked conflicted, but ultimately a frown won out.

"Sweetheart, I know you and Rhydian think you're in love. You're both 16 and I know you've been through a lot together. But we can't just lie to the Vaughns. We also can't afford to have the Vaughns know where we live. It's a risk that the information could get out, or that someone else in Stoneybridge might discover where we are."

Maddy shook her head, her eyes turning to steel. "No, Mum. You and Dad can't play the no-lying card. You two were fine lying to me by omission. Rhydian came here because he was worried about us, worried that they'd heard no word from us. You can't isolate us like this. You can't prevent me from being with the other people I care about. Life is about risks, risks you can't run from forever. I'm no longer a cub."

"Mads, it's not so simple," Daniel began.

"I get that more than you do!" Maddy said, exasperated and nearly shouting. She consciously toned it done, taking a deep breath as she moved to stand in front of Rhydian. Rhydian put his hands on Maddy's hips, standing supportive right behind her.

"I get it, there are risks involved. We'll have to be careful how much we let the Vaughns know. Maybe we'll have to give them a fake address, take whatever precautions we need to. I know it'll be a lot of work and I know that this kind of deception isn't easy."

"Maddy, you're asking us to lie," Emma broke in.

"You lie every day! You lie every time you wave at one of your new human friends in Swan Hill walking down the street! None of them know what you really are, what we are." Maddy choked back her inner wolf's growl. "Ever since I became a proper wolfblood, no longer a cub, I discovered that not all lies are the same. Now I'm not asking too much of you. I'm asking for your help to give me and Rhydian a chance at happiness, and yes, that contains risks, but I hope you'll say yes."

Daniel interrupted before Emma could respond, seeing that the two alpha females were ready to get into it.

"Your mum and I will discuss this. Take Rhydian inside."

To both of the older wolfbloods' shock and dismay, Maddy shook her head.

"No. I'm sorry, Mum and Dad. I will not be treated like a cub anymore. If you don't help me make Rhydian at least a part of my life, I'm prepared to join another pack. There's a pack in the Northwest Territories that lives a hybrid existence between wild and tame, a wolfblood community loosely connected to the human world."

"Maddy, you don't know what you're saying," Emma said as Daniel's fists clenched, hands darkening.

"I know better than you do! You claim to know what is best for me, but you consider only some risks and ignore the tradeoffs. That isn't being fair or even smart." Maddy gathered steam as she bit out, "And you know what the worst part is? The hypocrisy of it. Remember when Rhydian first came to us in Stoneybridge? What did you say to me? 'Invite him over Maddy. No wolf should be alone, Maddy. Make sure he knows he can have a pack and that he can feel welcome with us.' Remember those days? If you were thinking objectively without fear tainting everything, you'd realize that going to school with another wolfblood would be a _good_ thing for me. Rhydian and I can watch out for each other. I'd have a friend I could fully trust with my secrets and to help keep me from wolfing out."

Maddy's mum opened her mouth, but before she could get in a word edgewise Maddy muscled ahead, disappointment fueling her words. "And remember when I told you I couldn't confide in any of my other friends at Bradlington High, what did you do? You said 'At least you have one friend you don't have to lie to.' You were the one who encouraged me to befriend Rhydian in the first place! Well guess what? I don't abandon my friends."

Maddy's face was flush with passion as she finished her piece. "The truth is that Rhydian's become more than a friend and I'm not willing to give him up. Either help us be whole as a pack or I'll flee and join another pack. That's the choice, and this wasn't Rhydian's idea either. It was all my own."

The silence hung like a thick and oppressive force that might as well have been as wide as the Grand Canyon.

The shock of Maddy's defiance was still sinking in judging by the way her parents still appeared more stunned than angry by their daughter's outburst. Maddy took Rhydian's hand and tugged him toward the front door.

"Rhydian and I will wait inside. Whatever decision you make, I…I still love you guys." Maddy left her parents with a longing look as she turned from their stunned faces and led Rhydian inside the house and into the kitchen. She sat at the breakfast counter, trembling a little as a tear spilled down her cheek. Rhydian hugged her from behind, brushing her hair aside to kiss the nape of her neck. His presence created a bubble of warmth and safety that was the closest thing to heaven Maddy had ever felt, and she sighed, relaxing in his arms.

"You did great out there Mads. You. Were. Amazing." She turned and flashed him a tight grin.

"Yeah…well the jury is still out on that." She gazed out the window, watching her parents in somber discussion. She had never seen them so animated as they started to go back and forth. Were they arguing? She couldn't quite tell.

"You were, Mads. You said what needed to be said, even if it wasn't pleasant."

_Asking my parents to lie for us and calling them hypocrites was more than just unpleasant. They must think me a terrible daughter. Will they ever forgive me?_ Maddy frowned. It wasn't as if she could ever take the hurtful words back. Was the rift between Maddy and her parents inevitable then? Was there already a chasm wide open and growing? Soon enough she and Rhydian would get their answer.


	10. Defiance to Compromise

Chapter 10 - Defiance to Compromise

Rhydian pulled Maddy from the stool at the breakfast bar.

"What're you doing?"

"Tonight's the full moon," he said, smirking. His inner wolf had that playful urge and so did hers, despite the anxiety as they waited for Emma's and Daniel's response to Maddy's ultimatum. "Aren't you feeling the least bit restless? Want to go downstairs to the den and mess around?"

Maddy's eyes narrowed. "By 'mess around' you better not mean…."

Rhydian gave her a hurt look. "As if. I am a wolf and a gentleman." He grinned at her and turned around. "Come on. Climb on." She jumped on his back and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he piggy-backed her downstairs to the den. Soon they morphed into their wolves, snapping playfully at each other and roughhousing in the den, nipping at each other's heels as they circled, play-fought and growled.

Maddy lunged at Rhydian, getting the upper hand. Grasping his right foreleg in her jaws, she toppled him over. He righted himself quickly, using his bulk to shove her into the wall. With a grunt she wiggled out from between him and the stonework, leapt up on the nearby table and then landed on Rhydian's back with a growl that was wolf-speak for _Take that!_

They had almost lost themselves in the joy of good-natured sparring when the sound of footsteps echoed at the top of the stairs. Maddy and Rhydian sat on their haunches and returned to their human forms.

"Rhydian." Daniel and Emma were both standing side by side, both as solemn as Maddy had ever seen them. "We need to talk to you for a moment." Two sets of eyes shifted toward Maddy. "In private."

"Sure."

"No!"

"Maddy, it's all right." Rhydian looked at Maddy, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and then joined Emma and Daniel. "I'll be right back."

Maddy felt all twisted up inside, her stomach churning as she waited, wondering what plot her parents were trying to concoct with Rhydian's permission. She didn't trust them after the things they'd already kept from her, and part of her wondered how that trust could ever be fully regained. She fidgeted, chewing on her lip as the minutes ticked by. Each second lingered like it was trying to stretch into minutes, an hour. At last the sound of footsteps returned. Rhydian walked in and sat on the couch. He patted the cushion beside him.

"Mads, have a seat."

"I'll stand, thank you." Maddy looked at her parents suspiciously.

Emma sighed, walking up to Maddy and taking both of her hands.

"Pet, sometimes you do try our patience, but we only do what we do because we care about you." She then gave her daughter a hug as Maddy felt relief flowing like the blood in her veins. When Emma withdrew Daniel cleared his throat.

"Your mum and I have made a decision." Maddy whirled toward him, her heart galloping.

"We've decided…." Daniel let the sentence hang like a rock dangling half-way over a cliff. Maddy couldn't breathe.

"We've decided that we will help Rhydian stay in Swan Hill for the semester— _with_ certain conditions and caveats." Maddy squealed and launched herself at her dad. Daniel sighed as her daughter squeezed him like a giant teddy bear and then wiped away the tears of happiness forming on her face.

"Thank you, Dad, Mum. Thank you, thank you so much. I love you guys." She gave her mum a hug just as torso-crushing.

"Don't celebrate yet, young lady. You haven't heard our conditions yet, and Rhydian's already agreed to them so if you choose to reject them you'll have no help from him."

Maddy turned back toward Rhydian, speechless with eyes full of accusation. "Is this true?"

Rhydian nodded matter-of-factly. "It's true, Maddy. If you go against them on this I'm on their side."

Maddy's heart lurched as she turned back to her parents. Seeing her distress Rhydian jumped up from the couch and slipped a hand around her waist, pulling her slender body snug against him and kissing her on the forehead. "No need to panic, Mads. Hear them out."

Daniel cleared his throat as if he were about to read a legal document.

"First, Rhydian will not be living with us. We'll arrange for room and board for him in town."

"Dad!"

"It's not negotiable," Emma cut in. "You two are both 16 and in love. You're still too fresh out from being cubs yourselves to have cubs of your own. There is no way we are going to have the two of you sleeping under the same roof. It's inviting trouble. Your dad and I were 16 once too!"

The wolfblood girl reluctantly kept her mouth shut even as her wolf wanted to howl.

"Secondly, you will promise never to join this Northwest Territories pack—ever. They're dangerous Maddy…in some ways even more dangerous than wild wolfbloods."

"But how do you—"

"You'll just have to trust us on this."

"Listen to them, Mads. Just trust them," Rhydian added.

"I thought you were on my side."

"There are no sides anymore. Your parents are right. Just let it be."

Grumpy but mollified, Maddy leaned her head on Rhydian's shoulder and groaned. "Fine. What else?"

"After the end of the semester you'll let Rhydian go back home to Stoneybridge without putting up a fuss. We'll arrange so that you can still keep in touch him. We won't try to keep Rhydian out of your life. If the Vaughns give him permission to visit in the future he will always be welcome here. By the time you're both old enough to go to university, you'll be able to make your own decisions."

"Is that it?" Maddy asked hopefully.

"Not quite. One last condition. You will not run free anywhere as wolves. You will use our den here every full moon and stay safe and away from prying human eyes. If we are to be a pack, we will certainly act as one and Rhydian will consider me his alpha just as I am yours." Emma crossed her arms in front of her and gave her daughter a searching look. "Do you accept those terms young lady?"

The air could have been cut with a knife as silence and tension wove together for just an instant. Maddy sucked in a breath, considering. A bolt of understanding slammed into her like a fist, her eyes going vivid as she realized something. _It was hard-fought, just getting where we are right here, right now, me and Rhydian together. This is good, but I want more._

Maddy looked over at Emma, felt a twinge of pity as she said the words she knew would leave everyone floored.

"I agree to those terms as long as you and dad serve as witnesses to my Promise Ceremony with Rhydian before he goes back to Stoneybridge."

Emma and Daniel stilled. Rhydian's jaw dropped. The tension in the air ratcheted up a notch. Maddy saw her dad contain his inner wolf, and from the expression it was clear that he was not pleased.

Rhydian had to make a few tries before words would come. "Maddy, you don't have to do this. I'm not trying to place any demands on you." His hand created tingles along the small of her back where he held her. His hands slid up to the sides of her neck, the pads of his thumbs gently pressed against either side of her jaw as he turned her face so that their gazes locked perfectly. "Is this really what you want? The mate-pledge isn't taken lightly, Mads. It's almost unbreakable. It's…."

Maddy shut him up by pressing her lips to his in a firm, chaste, meaningful kiss. His hands stiffened along the sides of her neck as he pressed her against the wall, turning the kiss into something less innocent, the boy's inner wolf growling affectionately at the wolfblood girl in a way that spoke deeper than words. _Yes I accept all you are, and more than that, I would do anything to make you mine._

The wolfblood girl sighed as they broke the kiss, their foreheads pressed together, both of them panting with identical, rampaging heartbeats.

"Maddy." Emma's voice had lost that typical mum-like air of authority, now small and afraid. "Are you sure? This can't be undone. If you tie your wolf to Rhydian's…"

"I know, Mum! I know. But if I do this then it pledges me to him, right, and only at the proper time? That's how this works, right?" It was an old wolfblood ritual similar to the ancient human practice of betrothal, only it was much more sacred, steeped in wolfblood magic. Once she and Rhydian had been promised to each other their wolves would refuse to acknowledge any other as mate and save the final act of mating only until after they had come of age, as full adult wolfbloods.

It was a time-honored wolfblood tradition seldom used anymore, but Maddy had had a lot of time on her hands since moving to Swan Hill. She knew her kind's older traditions and this was one that she thought was beautiful and special…and it was more than that too.

_This will show my parents that I'm serious—that Rhydian doesn't matter to me only in the here and now. I won't lose him again, especially not for the sake of fear. I won't be the reckless cub I used to be either, if that's what has to happen for us to have a future._

"Mum and Dad, I _am_ sure that this is what I want." She turned back to Rhydian. "Is it…is it what you want?" Her heart nearly broke as her love for the wolfblood boy she'd originally snubbed, the same boy she'd once viciously insisted didn't belong, as what he really meant to her finally crystallized. Maddy thought back to the night when they'd been stranded on the isle of Lindisfarne, the night she'd first changed into her wolf.

She vividly remembered his tender words when she'd been a nervous wreck. _Maddy, it'll be all right. I'll look after you._

"Maddy Smith," Rhydian replied, his smirk flourishing into a grin, "no girl on earth could possibly be as much trouble as you, and yet I know of no other girl that I'd rather run with, spend the rest of my life with, have cute little cubs with one day." He sighed, a musical note of contentment as he smoothed the pad of his thumb across her cheek, staring at her with this look of devotion that made her heart ache. "I've already told you Mads—from that first walk in the woods with you in Stoneybridge, you'd already captured me. You'd already started to make me yours, even then."

Rhydian wiped the fresh tear of joy on Maddy's face and kissed her one more time, the tenderness of his touch making Maddy's heart thud harder and harder as she kissed him back with all the passion she could muster. When they slowly pulled apart Maddy's heavy-lidded gaze couldn't quite look at anything except for Rhydian, _her_ Rhydian, until her dad's uncomfortable cough brought the couple out of their mountaintop moment.

"Maddy." Emma's voice sounded resigned, but a tiny note seemed to express some secretly shared joy at her daughter's happiness. "Yes, if it's what you want then your dad and I would be honored to be witnesses to your Promise Ceremony to Rhydian. We want you to be happy, pet, and we will always try to be supportive of you."

The wolfblood teenager turned to her mum and dad, her heart aching not with pain but with being overfilled, saturated as if happiness were a drug you could overdose on. She snared each of them in another bone-squeezing hug with shining eyes as she stepped back and yearned to somehow impart the gratitude which rendered words inadequate.

"You and Dad are the best parents ever. You know that, right?"

Their sad, wistful looks told her that although they knew Maddy was no longer a child, that didn't mean they'd ever accept it. Rhydian slipped his hands around Maddy's waist, hugging her from behind in that way which was already growing so familiar it was hard for Maddy to remember ever _not_ having him there beside her. He kissed the top of her head as she slid her hands along his forearms and enfolded them over his. She tilted her head sideways and pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth, murmuring the three words that signified vulnerability like nothing else.

"I love you, Rhydian."

"You mean it?" His eyes danced with mischief.

"Of course!"

"Even when I do this?" Maddy squealed as Rhydian tickled her armpits and along the front of her neck. She squirmed as he pretended to bite her and ended up whirling her around for a proper kiss instead, his hand cupping the nape of her neck. Her inner wolf embraced the wolfblood boy's playfulness as the full moon neared, focused on one thing. Rhydian, _her_ Rhydian, would now be a part of her life.


	11. Misunderstandings

Chapter 11 - Misunderstandings

"I still think this is ridiculous."

Rhydian suppressed a smirk at Maddy's exasperated tone.

They were at Blake's Furniture along Swan Hill's main 'shopping district,' such as it was, looking for a nightstand, desk, and bookshelf for Rhydian's rental. It was one of those shops that looked like a total dump from the outside but had diamonds in the rough for those patient and frugal enough to pore through it all, room by cluttered room.

Rhydian bent down to examine the finish on one solid oak desk. "This'll do, yeah."

As if he hadn't spoken, Maddy went on, angrily flicking a few strands of hair out of her eyes.

"I mean, they don't have to be so curmudgeonly about it. They could let us do the Promise Ceremony now. Then with the promise-pact ensuring that we would respect proper boundaries until we're old enough, they wouldn't even have to worry about us living under the same roof! If you ask me, it's like they're being difficult on purpose."

Maddy scratched the back of her neck and huffed, shifting uneasily as Rhydian took her by the hand and tugged her along into the next room.

"Really, Mads. Stop obsessing. Your parents just want you to be sure before you take such a big step. The day before I go back to Stoneybridge, we'll do the Promise Ceremony. They want us to have the semester to get to know each other better—without a crisis popping up here and there, so we can actually date like normal people. You can't fault them for that."

"Watch me."

It was late Monday afternoon and Maddy had been on edge the whole day. Rhydian's paperwork to start attending Swan Hill High hadn't come through yet and probably wouldn't until the end of the week. That meant 4 more days at school Rhydian-less, though that was probably just as well because she still needed to officially break up with her fake boyfriend.

Today was supposed to have been the day of reckoning, except Jared had surprised her with mint chocolates, purple flowers, and—this part being her favorite—a cartoonish sketch of her smiting Sabrina which had had her giggling before she could help herself. Maddy was just waiting for the excuse she needed, but the longer she waited the more it seemed it would never come.

_If Jared would just be mean to me or inconsiderate that would make this a whole lot easier_ Maddy thought. She smiled, berating herself. _Only you would have these problems…needing a fake boyfriend to be mean to you so you could break up with him. God, what a mess._ Her eyes brightened as she saw a beautiful bookshelf with elaborate Spanish carvings. It was the best of both worlds, a functional work of exquisite art.

"You definitely need that one," Maddy proclaimed, pointing excitedly as if she'd discovered a trove of diamonds.

Rhydian glanced at the price tag, frowning. "Mads, you definitely have good taste. _Too_ good. I can't afford that."

Maddy was just about to argue with him when she caught an intertwining of familiar scents. Suddenly Jared, Mace, and Lyssa walked in, all three turning curious as they saw Maddy with a new boy.

"Maddy! Hey," Jared gave Maddy a hug, picking her up and swinging her in a circle. "I thought we'd drop by and help you pick out furniture for your friend."

Maddy smiled weakly. "Yeah, Jared, hey guys. That's nice of you guys, really, but we've got it covered." She had told them that she was helping a 'friend' pick out furniture. She hadn't told them who Rhydian was….

Jared's brown eyes melted like warm chocolate as he tried to give Maddy a kiss. The agile wolfblood girl ducked out of the way, panic rising.

Mace laughed, misreading the situation. "Uhoh Jared, looks like your girlfriend wants to play hard to get."

Rhydian already had his hands clenched, but he had things under control until the word 'girlfriend' landed like a bomb in their midst. He wrapped a hand possessively around Maddy's waist and pulled her back. His wolf took control, and before he knew what was happening Rhydian was kissing the side of Maddy's neck and tracing a soft trail of kisses up to her jaw.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop at least 10 degrees. Lyssa frowned, Mace's expression turned brooding, and Jared…Jared looked betrayed.

"What's this, Maddy?" Jared's tone was clipped, full of anger.

"I…" _Damn it._ It wasn't supposed to go this way….

Rhydian nuzzled Maddy with wolfy affection, satisfied that his scent clung to her, before he gently cupped Maddy's chin and cajoled her into meeting his stare, which had a few sparks of anger of its own.

"Maddy, did you forget to tell me something? I thought this guy knew you weren't interested in him?"

"He-he does!" Maddy stammered. "I mean…we weren't dating for real. It was just for show. It's a long story." Her voice was filled with pleading now.

"Oh really? No worries, I'll make the time. Do go on." The way Rhydian tenderly held Maddy around the waist contradicted his ominous tone.

Heartbeat thumping, hands going slick, Maddy felt trapped as her mind raced to find the best way out.

"You know what, you don't even have to. She's all yours," Jared said with disgust. He turned and stalked away, and just as he was about to leave the room he swiveled back.

"You could have at least told me. You didn't have to go behind my back. Wow, Maddy. You really are…." Jared let the words hang, as if knowing that letting the insult go unspoken was so much worse. He vanished into the next room. Lyssa threw Maddy a look that had disappointment in it more than anything, but Mace gave her a glare hot enough to fold steel.

"See you around, slut." Mace fired back, the last one to leave.

It was all Maddy could do to hold Rhydian back from pursuing and eviscerating Mace. She hugged him from behind as he began making strides for the door, dragging her with him.

"Please Rhydian, don't." The desperation and hurt in her voice made him stop, though clearly the rage simmered instead of dissipating.

He rounded on her, his eyes blazing.

"What was that all about?"

Maddy opened her mouth, finally coherent enough to explain. "Everything I told you was true. Jared and I weren't ever dating, not for real. But to help me fit in and make new friends here Jared agreed to be my fake boyfriend." She sighed. "He did admit that he liked me and that he hoped I would eventually reciprocate. I told him though, told him about _you_ , Rhydian. I told him I already had a boyfriend. I never lied to you or him!" Maddy cried, not sure whether she wanted to growl or implore.

She had been right about boys' egos. They _were_ way too brittle.

Rhydian's eyes lit with understanding. He circled the room, hands in his pockets, and threw a few dark glances Maddy's way.

"So the bloke didn't realize who I was? He thought I was just another guy you had on the side. He doesn't know that I'm your old boyfriend come all the way from Stoneybridge?"

Maddy shrugged. "Yeah, that's a pretty fair guess."

The wolfblood boy's eyes narrowed. "Of course all those misunderstandings could have been avoided if you had just been honest in the first place. Not lying is not the same as being honest!" Rhydian stalked up to her, putting his palms against the far wall on either side of her face as he boxed her in, staring with a disappointment that slashed at her soul. Maddy found it hard to meet that gaze without flinching.

"You could have broken up with him at school today, Mads. Why didn't you?"

"I tried…I wanted to." _Ugh._ That sounded lame, even to her. "He gave me presents today and I felt bad about dumping him after he'd been only nice to me."

Rhydian's hand slapped the wall above Maddy's shoulder. His eyes yellowed before he harnessed his wolf.

"Except you weren't dumping him, remember? You were never dating!" A vein on Rhydian's forehead throbbed, ready to explode. He took a step back. "Mads, I don't know if that was just poor judgment on your part, wanting to please everyone, or if it means you're overwhelmed by me being here…that you're having second thoughts about us?" Rhydian posed it as half-question, half-speculation. It felt to Maddy as if quicksand were sucking her under.

_No…No, this can't be happening. I just got my Rhydian back. Please, don't let me screw this up too, just like I screwed up everything for my family back in Stoneybridge._ Maddy heard Rhydian's scathing words echo in her head. _Poor judgment._

He was right, wasn't he? Her judgment was flawed. What if there was nothing so perfect that she, Maddy Smith, couldn't find a way to turn it all into bollox?

"Rhydian…." She loved the way his name formed on her lips, carried as she formed each precious syllable. She hoped to say it many, many more times, and that was why she chose her words carefully now. "You're right about my judgment. I should have been completely honest."

Her look turned into a stubborn glare now, tears glistening in her eyes but refusing to slip out. "I am overwhelmed by you, of course I am. By how much I care about you, by how happy I am that you're here with me now! Do you think I would ever want to put that in jeopardy?"

"No." One word, and Rhydian said it so softly that it seemed as insubstantial, as fragile as a snowflake. It gave her hope—prematurely.

"Look, Mads. Maybe we do need to slow things down though, yeah? Having things moving this fast, it creates a pressure on us. It makes me crazy to think of any other guy trying to touch you like Jared did just now."

_No._ He must have seen the panic in her eyes. Rhydian's expression softened for the first time since their surprise meeting with Jared and company.

"What are you saying?" Maddy said.

"Maybe we should put off the Promise Ceremony for a bit longer, until you can come back to Stoneybridge or until I can come back for another visit." Rhydian spread his hands helplessly. "Maybe that's what's best."

_What's best? Now you're beginning to sound like my parents._ This was a nightmare, it had to be. Maddy took a deep breath, and it didn't help, not even a little.

"Rhydian, I'm only going to say this once. Please don't let something trifling, my stupid mistake being nice to someone, just…you know what, don't read so much into it, OK? It's not fair to me or to us. You need to trust me, Rhydian." Her eyes yellowed as the she felt the passion of her wolf surge out. Her hands blackened and she almost morphed right then and there in the shop. She half-sobbed, half-growled as Rhydian ran to her, hugging her tightly.

"It's all right, Mads. SSSHHH….I take it back, I take it all back. You know I love you, smelly girl. Calm down. It's all right." She hated when he called her that— _smelly girl_ —but it made her smile too.

When she finally stopped shuddering, her face pressed underneath his chin, Rhydian slowly straightened. He tipped up her head to have a good look at her.

"We're both wrong and we're both right," he said. She blinked, confused as he went on. "You need to be more honest with me and I need to trust you more. Yeah?" As she nodded Rhydian let his lips curve upward and gave her just the ghost of a kiss, like the biggest tease ever. Maddy felt a surge of heat where his hand touched as he caressed her cheek, one fleeting gesture that was gone too soon as Rhydian took a step back.

"OK. We're good. Yes?"

Maddy allowed herself a rueful grin. "Yeah."

Rhydian's gaze shifted to the door. "Off you go, then."

Maddy and her wolf were in the same boat, about as confused as a semi-conscious person hit on the head with a hammer. The wolfblood girl looked at her boyfriend with raised eyebrows.

"Silly girl. This is me trusting you. Go after your friends. Explain to Jared the truth. If he's half the guy you think he is, he'll realize that _he_ made a piss-poor assumption and that he can't blame _you_ for his fake-dating scheme running off the rails. I know you don't want to lose those friends, yeah? They're your new mates…so go after them. What are you still standing here for?"

The wolfblood girl shook her head as she started to tie her hair up into a pony-tail, getting ready to run. "Aren't you coming with?"

Rhydian sighed, all exasperation. "Kind of need to buy furniture, remember? Like I said, this is me testing myself. Go find Jared. Go make up with him." Maddy grinned, knowing that Rhydian's wolf had to be dying inside—roaring with fury—or both.

"Rhydian Morris, you never cease to amaze me." And with that, Maddy lunged out the door, her heart soaring again, hope restored, at least for now….


	12. The Offer She Can't Refuse

Chapter 12 - The Offer She Can't Refuse

Maddy dashed out of the furniture shop. Sniffing, she quickly picked up Jared's scent and bolted after it. The little main thoroughfare through Swan Hill was lined by a jumble of modern-looking shops, but beyond that there was only the occasional rustic-looking mom-and-pop storefront and two-story houses spread farther and farther apart.

_It shouldn't be too hard to find them_ she thought. Her pretty face scrunched up with concentration as she scanned the area, making sure which scent was Jared's when it looked like he and his friends had diverged. It was strange how a scent trail could come so strong to Maddy's wolf. It was like the wolf could see and smell the scent at the same time.

Swan Hill wasn't named by accident, and a steep hill dominated everything north of Main Street. She was fast on the heels of Jared's scent, certain she could catch him, when it hit her like a moving brick wall—a scent that reeked of danger.

There was no mistaking it. A faint cloud of yellowish-green appeared to her wolfblood senses, trailing up the hill in the direction of the dense forest beyond the edge of town. A wolfblood's scent, and not anyone she knew. An interloper, an invader in her family's territory. She stood there licking her lips, unsure.

_The safe, smart thing to do would be to go home straightaway and tell Mum and Dad. But what if it's a wolfblood out of control? People could be in danger._ There was no right choice, she just had to make one.

She darted uphill, her wolf keenly aware and probing for any ambush. _Don't try to be a hero, Mads. Just spot it, make sure it's not a threat and then quietly withdraw._ Easier said than done if her wolf shouldered its way to the forefront. She almost had herself convinced by the time she reached the northeast corner of town.

A few lonely outbuildings stood dwarfed by tall oaks and pine trees. The lingering cloud of scent snaked around the corner of a caved-in shed maybe 50 meters off. Maddy felt her skin prickle as a mangy wolf with vivid glacier-blue eyes rounded the corner of the shed. It stared at her relentlessly.

It sent chills down her spine and before she knew it her wolf was out, refusing to be denied. She morphed in broad daylight—as if the mesmerizing blue eyes of the invading wolf had cast a spell on her. The unknown wolf turned and ran, gliding through the tall grasses and vanishing under the dense tree cover.

Maddy didn't even hesitate. She spurred ahead full-tilt, picking up speed as the pine trees flew by in a blur of muted colors. Her wolf senses homed in on the interloper, a growl of dominance preceding her as she ran. _This is_ my _territory…my pack. Trespass at your own peril._ The alpha in her sang, her muscles rippling as she ran surrounded by the wildness of the woods, and for a fleeting moment Maddy felt invincible. _If only Rhydian were beside me now._

Maddy's indestructible aura evaporated the second the blue-eyed wolf finally turned to make his stand. He was noticeably larger than Maddy, standing a good hand-span higher at the shoulders than the wolfblood girl. The wolf's lips curled back in a snarl, and she answered in kind. The two wolves circled one another, tails rigid—probing for weakness. Maddy's tawny coat was sleek and fine while the blue-eyed wolf looked like a mangy brute, his mottled fur covered in burrs from kilometers of travel through the wilderness.

_He's bigger but he's also weakened from the journey. It's more than a fair fight_ Maddy realized. She lunged, looking for an opening. Blue Eyes snapped at her, fending her off and dancing out of range. She attacked again only to have him dodge behind a fallen tree. Maddy had anticipated it though, lunging through an opening just barely large enough for her sleeker figure. The blue-eyed wolf stumbled as she butted him in the chest, knocking him over and straddling the wolf in one fluid motion. She bared her teeth and growled as he squirmed on his back and showed her his underbelly.

Satisfied, Maddy mouthed him on the nose for good measure, wolf-speak for _Don't forget who's boss!_ She slowly sat back on her haunches and only changed back into her human self after the interloper had done the same.

"Why are you trespassing in my pack's territory?" Her tone was harsher than sandpaper.

The wiry young man had a light beard and blue eyes not quite as vivid as his wolf's. He looked at her uncomfortably and said the one thing she hadn't expected.

"You're Maddy, right? I have a message for you. Ceri sent me."

"Ceri?" Maddy frowned. "You have a name?"

"Nathan. Look, I'm just the messenger. I'm not some rogue invading your pack's land. I'm just here to talk."

The wind bit at Maddy's arms, her t-shirt ruffling as her hair flew wildly to one side. She pushed it angrily out of the way. "Well? What's this message and why couldn't you just show up at my parents' place like a normal person?"

"Because this message is for you alone. You are forbidden to tell Rhydian or anyone else."

Maddy stalked forward, her eyes narrowing. "And who are _you_ to make demands of me?"

Nathan gave her a surprisingly human look, his wolf more submissive than she'd thought. He seemed almost…apologetic, and it made her fear what his message might hold.

"As I said, I'm just the messenger. I come from Sebastian's pack in the Northwest Territories. Ceri's the female alpha now, rules alongside Sebastian."

That sent a chill through Maddy that had nothing at all to do with the piercing wind. A storm was coming, the sky darkening as the wind cut through the forest like millions of tiny darts.

"Why couldn't Ceri come herself?" _That would make more sense. Wouldn't she want to visit her son?_

But Nathan shook his head and his eyes shifted uneasily. "She had other commitments. Just listen carefully. Ceri has a task for you and it's crucial that you agree to it."

Maddy scoffed. "She can wish for the moon for all I care, but I can't guarantee it."

"For your sake I hope you're wrong," Nathan said sadly. Maddy felt her heartbeat pounding now.

"Enough with all the bloody hop-footing around. Spit it out, you mangy mutt."

"You and Rhydian need to join our pack in the Northwest Territories, at Grey Haven. You need to convince Rhydian and your parents that this is what's best for everyone."

Maddy chuckled. "May as well ask me to convince them the sky's mint green. We've already had that discussion and Rhydian and I have decided it's not for us. You can return to your compound and your hybrid pack. Send Ceri a hello for me, yeah?"

Nathan bit his lip, his eyes turning hard. "I guess I'll have to tell you the full truth so you'll realize what's at stake." He gave her that pitying look for the second time, and Maddy was starting to feel annoyance intermingle with her fear.

"The truth is that Sebastian facilitated everything so that Rhydian could come to Canada and see you in the first place."

That informational nugget hit her like a fist. "Wait…what?"

Nathan sighed. "Rhydian doesn't know. He asked for his mum's help, and Ceri gave Rhydian the financial aid to come over here and live for a while—but it was all set up by Sebastian, and it was more than just the money. She approached Sebastian not only about financial help but also about finding someone to impersonate a fake long-lost birth father here in Canada so that Rhydian would have the excuse he needed to convince his foster parents to let him come over."

Maddy grunted. "And I care because…?"

"Sebastian gave his help to Ceri because he wanted her to be his alpha," Nathan growled. "Think what that means for a moment."

Maddy stiffened.

"Sebastian wants a strong pack, and that means the alpha female of his choice assured by his side. As long as Rhydian is outside of the pack, there's the chance that Ceri won't stay. Sebastian isn't having any of that. The only solution is for you and Rhydian to join his pack. To join us."

The wolfblood girl felt her heart fluttering. Her stomach churned. "And if we don't?"

Nathan shrugged. "Then Sebastian plans to offer evidence of how you revealed your wolfblood secret to two human friends in Stoneybridge."

_Which would be evidence of me committing the ultimate taboo. Oh God. Tom and Shan. No._

The blue-eyed wolfblood grimaced, and she could tell he didn't relish telling her any of this.

"Of course that means that there would be an investigation by the alpha committee here in North America. You and your family would be put under house arrest pending the decision and Rhydian wouldn't be allowed to stay in your territory. He'd be strongly encouraged to join our pack in the meantime. If the charges are proved, you and your family might stay under house arrest almost indefinitely, at least until the committee is satisfied that you no longer pose a danger."

_House arrest?_ Maddy suddenly felt faint. Her parents had only hinted of such cases a handful of times. Usually when a wolfblood was convicted house arrest lasted for _years_. And Maddy didn't even want to think about what might happen to Tom and Shannon! Nathan's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Sebastian will get what he wants, one way or the other. It will be better for both you and Rhydian if you join us willingly." Nathan's tone took on an oddly pleading tone. "If not for yourself, do it for your family and for Rhydian too. You don't want to be separated, do you? It would tear him apart. Ceri's told me all about you two, about how important you are to him."

The wolfblood girl suddenly felt tiny and terribly alone. She felt like one of those saplings on the periphery of the forest as the storm came in, howling louder, stronger, and scarier by the moment.

"Is this what Ceri wants, then? Is this her idea of happily ever after?" Maddy couldn't keep the bitterness out.

"No, Maddy." Nathan shook his head. "Ceri doesn't want this, but Sebastian has told her of his plans. Ceri doesn't feel she can refuse him, not when he's started to successfully build a new world for wolfbloods safe from humans. She's placed too much hope in him and what he can do to turn her back on him now. She's bought you some time, convinced Sebastian that even though you're the thing preventing Rhydian from joining the pack, you can be reasoned with, that he doesn't have to set his plans in motion. Not yet."

Maddy wrapped her arms around her stomach, feeling as if there was somehow a gaping hole in her chest. She stared listlessly at the ground, her wolf shrinking back. Her anger had somehow evaporated, replaced by numbness.

"So how much time do I have?"

Nathan shrugged. "At least several weeks, a month. Beyond that I can't be sure. You would be smart to just assume that time is of the essence. Ceri will send you another message if things reach a critical point, if she thinks she can't hold Sebastian back any longer." Nathan looked up at the darkening clouds, the slate-gray sky thrown like a shadowy tarp over the world. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and it reminded Maddy of finality, of being helpless.

"Look, Maddy, I need to go. I have to return to my pack. For what it's worth, I'm sorry you've been put in this position. I'm sorry for all of it, the whole situation." He gave her one last glance as he turned to go. "Please don't tell Rhydian. Think what it would do to him, to find out that he unwittingly played a role in this mess."

Maddy's face clouded. Rhydian would be enraged at Sebastian for trying to manipulate his mum. He would probably challenge Sebastian's authority, maybe even accidentally get himself killed, and Ceri would be helpless to protect his son if Sebastian was as powerful an alpha as it seemed.

"Go. Get out of my sight." Maddy directed all of her pent-up bitterness at Nathan's departing form as the semi-wild wolfblood morphed into his four-legged guise and vanished deeper into the woods.

_What am I going to do?_

Maddy tried to think, shell-shocked as the enormity of her choices weighed on her like the aftermath of an avalanche.


	13. My Wolfblood Girl

Chapter 13 - My Wolfblood Girl

_Rhydian's perspective…_

Rhydian finished up making the arrangements with Mr. and Mrs. Blake. He'd get Maddy's parents to help him pick up the furniture and transfer it to the new rental tomorrow. Satisfied with a chore taken care of more painlessly than he'd expected, Rhydian began walking down Main Street looking for any sign of Maddy. As he walked the weather turned sour, the wind rocketed up to whipping speed, and the clouds overhead darkened as if some giant were pouring black ink into them.

Rhydian found the urge to surrender to his wolf, to meet Mother Nature with instinct.

_No time to go frolicking now. There'll be time enough for that when I find Maddy_ he thought hopefully. It wasn't hard to follow her scent trail, not at first—but as the skies opened up and rain pummeled every centimeter of cobblestone it quickly became another story. He was relieved when he saw a soaked Maddy streaking down the hill, running almost too fast to be human.

He turned just in time to prepare for impact as she catapulted into him, her arms wrapping him up tighter than a bow around a present.

"Mads." He put a hand on the back of her head, caressing her wet hair affectionately as he brushed his lips across her brow. "Did you find Jared and the others?"

"No." Her voice sounded strained. Odd.

He drew back. "What's wrong?" Were those tears in her eyes? Between all the raindrops dripping down Maddy's beautiful face it was impossible to tell. He cupped her cheeks. "Mads, tell me, what is it?"

She blinked and seemed to gather up some hidden reserve of strength. "I'm too exhausted to talk right now. Come on. Take me home."

Rhydian was tempted to say something, but when a flash of lightning lit up the world and blinded him, he decided a better opportunity would come along.

"OK, let's go on then." The young wolfbloods huddled together, buffeted by rain and wind as they made their way through town. Then, once they were out of sight in the woods, they dashed like wolfbloods pursued, seamlessly knifing between the trees. Suddenly there they were, huffing yet exhilarated from the run, standing at the foot of the Smiths' driveway.

Rhydian glanced at Maddy, saw that her color was better and she seemed less distraught. But he couldn't put that tortured expression he'd seen for a split millisecond out of his mind. Something _major_ had happened. He wasn't stupid.

Maddy practically shoved him through the door and quickly flung off her wet t-shirt, leaping up the stairs three or four at a time.

"Come on, Rhydian!" Rhydian followed, a little confused as he walked into Maddy's bedroom. Maddy had already flung her pants off and was just pulling up her pajama shorts when he walked in. He stopped, his wolf only too aware of her. Maddy's slim figure shifted but she didn't turn toward him. Her intoxicating scent surrounded him, and the fact that he could see that she was wearing only her bra above the waist didn't help.

He didn't move, waited to take his cue from her. When she looked so vulnerable he felt the instinct to be extra careful, like she was a priceless jewel he had to protect.

"Rhydian, you know how you said I need to be more honest with you and you need to trust me more?"

"Yes."

"Well I'm going to need to put that to the test twice in one day." She slid under the comforter and sheets of her bed, shivering. "Come here and warm me up. Just hold me, OK?"

The wolfblood boy took off his wet jacket, standing uncertainly for a few seconds.

"Mads, I know your parents aren't home yet. What will they think if they find us—?"

"Honestly I don't really care right now." Maddy's voice sounded so tired, as if her very spirit had been sucked dry and needed replenishing. "Just take off the wet clothes and come hold me."

Rhydian gingerly did as she asked, sliding into the bed beside her. Immediately the wolfblood boy felt the girl relax as he cradled her with his body. With their current state of semi-undress he was self-conscious at first, but it quickly became very clear that Maddy was every bit as exhausted as she'd said.

There was just this simple, beautiful calm with the rain pattering in the background like an endless stream of comforting whispers. Time locked in stasis as he slipped his arm around Maddy's abdomen, holding her tightly and listening to the even sound of her breathing, the precious sound of her steady heartbeat. His wolf could sense everything about her, drinking in her aura, her scent, every shift she made as her lungs drew breath.

_My wolfblood girl. I've got you, Mads. Whatever it is that's wrong, we can get through this. Together._

Within minutes Maddy had stopped shivering. He risked a peek over to look at her delicate face. The serenity of sleep had her completely relaxed in his arms now. Even though he was wide awake, he didn't dare move.

He wasn't sure how long they lay together like that, cozy, warm, and safe as the thunder rumbled and the lightning flashed shadows on Maddy's bedroom walls. However long it was, it wasn't long enough for Rhydian's satisfaction. Not when he heard Maddy's parents unlocking the front door.

The wolfblood boy moved fast but at the same time he was determined not to wake her—no easy balance to achieve.

He had managed to pull up and secure his still-soaked jeans, grab his dripping-wet jacket, and close the bedroom door behind him only to find Daniel and Emma standing right in front of him like a rude surprise.

"Hello Rhydian. Is Maddy in there?"

_Bollox._

"Please, she's asleep," Rhydian whispered. "We got caught out in the storm, soaked to the bone. I only warmed her up, that's absolutely _all I did_. I swear on my life." He cringed, waiting for the accusations, the damning assumptions, the outrage.

Instead he felt Daniel's hand clamp him on the shoulder a little harder than necessary but saw only rueful kindness in Daniel's eyes.

"That's a good chap. We believe you, don't we Emma?"

Maddy's mum stifled a snort. "If we didn't, you'd already be out on your ear. Come on downstairs," she said gently, turning and moving toward the stairs. "I'll make you some hot chocolate. Let's see if we can find you a dry towel or three while we're at it. Your head's still soaked enough to catch a cold. Down you come."

Rhydian let out a huge sigh of relief. _Well that could have gone more poorly than it did. At least that's something._ He still had to find out what had hit Maddy like a ton of bricks. But her words stayed in his head like stubborn creatures.

_"I'm going to need to put that to the test twice in one day."_

What had she meant by that? Curiosity gnawed at Rhydian like a ravenous rat. He sighed as he sat at the kitchen table, gratefully distracted by the steaming cup of hot chocolate Emma handed him.

"So, how did the furniture shopping go?" Emma pulled up a chair across from him, engaging Rhydian like any inquisitive adult, and it actually put him at ease, provided a welcome distraction as they spoke. The thunder rumbled, more distant now. As terrible as the storm was, it couldn't last. Rhydian hoped that the same could be said for whatever was tormenting Maddy. All he could do for now was…just hope.

_Later that evening…_

Rhydian lay on the couch, dreamless in sleep. Tonight was his last night staying with the Smiths. On Tuesday Emma, Daniel, and Maddy were supposed to help him move into the rental on Aviary Avenue. He woke up in the middle of the night though, not sure why. He just lay there, listening to the silence. Of course _absolute_ silence didn't exist. Sound seeped in everywhere at the edges. The ticking of the clock in the kitchen, the drip, drip, drip of what was left of the storm.

He heard light footsteps descend the stairs. Maddy walked into the moonlit living room. Her feet were bare but at least she had on a sleep shirt to match her pajama shorts.

She stopped, looking uncertain and vulnerable, just standing at the foot of the couch as he sat up.

"Hey. I'm glad you're awake," Maddy whispered. Her hair was adorably disheveled from her epic-long nap.

Rhydian smirked. "Your hair looks awesome. Wanna sit?" She sat beside him as he made room for her, fake-punching him in the shoulder.

"So….?" He didn't say anything else, but he didn't really need to either.

She looked up at him shyly. "What?"

_Ahhh. So she's not quite ready to dig in. She wants a little more flirty small talk. All right, I can handle that._

He put an arm around her shoulders, gave her a squeeze. "So, that was some nap earlier. I don't think I've ever seen you that cold and tired at the same time."

Maddy's eyes grew distant, and for a second she might as well have been on another continent. Then she was back, his wolfblood girl looking up at him with something in her eyes. Was that gratitude?

"Thanks for being you," Maddy said, resting her head on his shoulder. Her hand gently rubbed his leg in this way that went beyond distracting to almost purr-inducing.

"You're welcome?" Rhydian said. "So…you want to tell me what that was all about earlier?"

"Yep, but then I'd have to kill you." Her eyes held a hint of humor that encouraged him more than words could.

"Seriously, Mads."

Maddy abruptly got up. She walked in a circle, glancing out the living room bay windows at the glittering night sky, her feet tracing the square patch where the moonlight hit the carpeting.

"You remember that time when I was being all 'Maddy Cool' shortly after my first changing?"

Rhydian chuckled. "Yeah Mads, I do. Little miss hair extensions and attitude? Not your finest hour."

Maddy grinned, blushing a little. "You were so patient with me even though I was being a jerk to literally everyone."

Rhydian nodded, curious where she was going with this….

Maddy sat at his feet, folded her arms across his lap and rested her head on her arms. She looked up at him, seated below him in that strange position. Her eyes looked sad and hopeful at the same time.

"Well, I'm going to ask that you be like that with me now, OK? Something happened today. I have a decision to make and it's not an easy one. I want you to give me some space and time to think about what I'm going to do. That's what I need from you right now, Rhydian. You said I needed to be more honest with you. This is me being honest with you."

Rhydian sighed. "And let me guess, if I ask you to share anything more about whatever's bothering you, I'll be violating the 'trust Maddy more' part of our new agreement."

Maddy's impish smile had _exactly_ written all over it. Rhydian looked to the heavens and released his heaviest sigh. "I was afraid of that." His eyes narrowed. "Promise me something though."

Maddy sat up straight, looking contrite. "Anything."

"Promise me you won't be a complete jerk to everyone again? I don't think my patience ever fully recovered from 'Lady Gaga' Maddy. I'm not sure I'm emotionally prepared to encounter her again." He was laughing softly as she reached over, grabbed a pillow and began swatting him over the head with it. He shielded his face with his arms until she grew tired of the one-way pillow fight.

He was just lowering his arms and opening his eyes when Maddy straddled him, her forehead pressed to his.

"Promise me something too," she breathed.

"Anything."

"Promise me you'll be there for me when I need you." Her eyes ensnared his, her breath tickling his face as she lowered her lips to his. Their kiss began slow, soft and sensual…yet soon enough it took on a life of its own. Rhydian sensed a strange desperation in Maddy, as if she wasn't sure this was a promise he could keep. It bothered him even as her presence and the response she awakened in his wolf distracted him unbearably.

_What are you hiding, Maddy? What happened that's made you so upset?_ So he couldn't ask her directly? Fine. That didn't mean he had to sit on his hands though. _I'll find out your secret, Mads._ Trust was well and good, but Rhydian couldn't handle the feeling of helplessness that tore at his heart. The idea that Maddy was in distress and that he couldn't help alleviate that—that was _not_ something he could accept.

Later, as Maddy lay cuddled between Rhydian's warmth and the back of the couch, with him dangling precariously over the edge, he softly stroked her silky hair and watched her sleep.

_Hmmm. If I'm going to discover Maddy's secret, I'm going to need to be subtle or…._ What he really needed were accomplices, and _that_ gave him an even better idea. Matching the curve of the now hidden moon, a ghost of a smile played across the wolfblood's face.


	14. Wolf Forgiven

Chapter 14 - Wolf Forgiven

Three days passed after Maddy received the message that threatened to once again tear apart her world. She had just gotten Rhydian back, and now thanks to Sebastian and Ceri's ambitions she was being asked to choose between a life with her family and a life with Rhydian.

_I was right not to trust Ceri_ Maddy thought grimly. It wasn't that Ceri didn't care about Rhydian or, to a lesser extent Maddy too. It was the way that Ceri put her own interests and feelings selfishly ahead of those she cared about.

Swan Hill had been a chance for Maddy and Rhydian to start over without the drama they'd left behind in Stoneybridge. Of course life wasn't fair in more than a few fairy tales, so why should reality be any different? That was Maddy's grim thought as she walked into her maths class, slinging her rucksack underneath the desk as she settled beside Lyssa. With the 'Cold War' between her and Jared still in full force, Lyssa and Mace hadn't spoken to her since Monday, and neither had Jared. That suited Maddy just fine though. She had bigger things to worry about.

At lunch time she sat alone. Rhydian would start class the following Monday anyway, and Maddy felt the loss of her new friends less keenly as she anticipated spending more time with Rhydian. But the falling-out gnawed at her, and the more she thought about it, the more Maddy decided that if her new plan to tackle Sebastian's threat seemed like a good one, it couldn't hurt to practice her judgment skills in tackling a far easier dilemma.

_Come on, Maddy. If you can't even mend friendships with a few humans, how are you going to outmaneuver a manipulative alpha? Time to stop being so passive._

The wolfblood girl got up from her table and walked over to where Jared sat with his two closest friends. Mace's eyes shot venom at her, Lyssa looked away uncomfortably, and Jared, well, Jared she couldn't quite read at the moment. She sat just across from the trio.

"Hey."

"Why are you even sitting here?" Mace asked.

Lyssa gave Mace a disapproving glare as if to say _That was graceless, even for you._

Jared's normally easygoing manner disappeared. He tensed, looking at Maddy like she had snakes in her hair.

"Hello Maddy. Can we help you with something?"

Maddy nodded, revealing the silver locket Jared had given her. Originally she'd planned to return it to him today for the sake of closure. Instead she proceeded to secure the clasp around her neck, rearranging it so that it glinted in the sunlight. The three humans gave her a puzzled look.

"Yes as a matter of fact you can, Jared. If you haven't fessed up to your friends about our 'fake-dating' thing yet, now's the time. Oh, and by the way, Rhydian was my boyfriend from Stoneybridge before I ever met you. I wasn't cheating on you or fake cheating on you…or whatever." Maddy gave Jared a _Don't try to BS me_ stare. "Now, can we please stop the cold shoulder treatment? I think the world of you guys even though I've just met you. You were nice to me and welcoming, and I'm grateful for it, I truly am. I would like to still be friends if you'll have me."

Jared rubbed his chin, glancing away. "Is that why you're wearing the locket?"

"Yes."

Jared drummed his fingers on the tabletop. "And your boyfriend doesn't have a problem with you wearing a locket given to you by another guy?" His tone sounded more than a bit doubtful.

Maddy smirked. "To be honest with you, Rhydian won't be happy about it…not even a little bit. But he's smart enough to know that I choose my own friends. He knows that I'm trying to mend fences with you and he'll respect my decision because he knows what's good for him." Maddy reached her hand across the table toward Jared. "Truce?"

Jared grunted. "You already embarrassed me, made me look like a fool in front of my friends here. I already had to tell them about the whole fake-dating thing." His face soured.

Suddenly Lyssa butted in. "All well and good Jared, but you should've known that something like that might blow up in your face." Lyssa shot a look over at Mace, seemingly emboldened by Maddy's olive branch. "And _you_. You acted horrible. Maddy didn't deserve to be called a 'slut.' When boys make stupid assumptions, it shouldn't be girls who have to pay for it."

Lyssa's surprising diatribe left Jared and Mace speechless. Maddy had to suppress a big grin.

_Girl power? Yes please._ She was starting to really like Lyssa.

Jared put a hand to his forehead, grimacing. "You're right, Lyssa. I…"

"You were being your overconfident self," Maddy interrupted. "Your confidence is what I love about you, Jared. It's what makes you so outgoing, easygoing, so likeable and quick to make friends. It's what pulled me out of my shell when I didn't really even want to be in this town." Maddy reached her hand across the tabletop again and took Jared's, risked giving it a gentle squeeze. "Unfortunately sometimes confidence can give you false hope too. Are you sure that you aren't upset with me not because of anything I actually did, but because of your disappointment realizing that you weren't going to win me over? That I wasn't ever going to be your real girlfriend?"

Jared gaped at Maddy for a moment as if she'd just slapped him. He tugged his hand away, got up and left.

Mace got up, mumbling an apology as he left to follow.

The blonde girl grinned at Maddy.

"What?"

"You don't take prisoners, do you?"

Maddy shrugged. "I was just being honest."

"Honesty isn't what Jared's used to getting from 99% of girls. He's used to them fawning over him, telling him what he wants to hear."

The wolfblood girl winked at Lyssa. "Oops. My bad." But Maddy felt a prick of concern. "Should I go after him? I didn't mean to—"

"No, stay where you are. Trust me, he'll come around. Jared knows when he's wrong. He just needs a little time to process the truth you threw in his face." Lyssa's eyes shifted, and Maddy sensed a change of topic coming—the first of many. The rest of the lunch period vanished in the blink of an eye, with Lyssa peppering her with questions about Rhydian. Was he Welsh? What kind of name was that _really_? What did it mean?

By the time the bell rang Maddy was almost grateful to be going to sociology class—which thankfully she _didn't_ share with Lyssa. Maddy was starting to realize that some friends were meant to be experienced only in certain doses….

When Maddy walked into sociology several minutes early Jared was sitting in the back. He glowered at her as she strode up and sat down in the chair next to him. The faded brown chair squeaked, the one chair leg unscrewing from the seat before the whole thing collapsed. Jared instinctively moved to grab Maddy's arm, pulling her against him to keep her from falling on her tush.

Maddy gaped at him, recovered, and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. "That was, um, very gallant of you. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Jared scowled as Maddy took the seat on the other side of him. This one managed to not disintegrate.

Mr. Haversham postponed the start of class while he sent for maintenance to take care of the broken chair. Apparently he hated having anything out of place in his perfectly ordered classroom. Meanwhile Maddy leaned over, whispering.

"So…does this mean we're friends again?"

Jared looked stubbornly ahead toward the screen at the front of the classroom, not saying a word.

"I see. What if I told you that I'd invite you over tonight to meet Rhydian properly? And that you can see the look on his face as he sees me wearing your locket?"

Jared's mouth twitched up. There it was! A smile, faint but there.

"I might be persuaded to come over. What time?"

"Dinner. My parents are doing their famous hog roast at 7 o'clock. Tell Lyssa and Mace they can come—Mace only if he behaves himself." Jared rolled his eyes, but his boyish face gave her a grudging look of warmth.

"All right."

_That night…_

"They'll be here any minute now guys. Please don't muck this up." With preternatural speed Rhydian flicked a hunk of meat at Daniel, who caught it in his mouth and gobbled it up as noisily as possible.

"Mum, make them stop!" Maddy wailed. Emma cut some more slices off the roast, laughing as the two male wolfbloods enjoyed themselves—which of course only infuriated Maddy more.

"Sorry, pet. Boys will be boys."

Maddy pointed at her dad, ratcheting up the intensity of her glare. "What about _men_?"

Emma grunted. "One day you'll understand, sweetheart. No such thing. None of them ever really grows up." She said it with an air of resignation. Maddy let out a groan with all the feeling she could muster and stomped upstairs.

Rhydian and Daniel high-fived, but as Emma's gaze slid toward them they looked more like a pair of weasels caught in a trap.

"Daniel, Rhydian….can you please make an effort here? Maddy is nervous having her new friends over. The least you could do is behave yourselves, carry yourselves with a little more—"

"Decorum?"

"The word I was looking for was 'dignity,' but yes Rhydian…that will do."

Rhydian put up his hands in surrender. "Fair enough, Mrs. Sm—"

"Emma," the wolfblood mum corrected.

"Emma." Rhydian looked around sheepishly and then found something to do, filling up the pitchers with drinks and helping set the table.

A few minutes later Maddy's slender figure came gliding down the stairs with an elegant flair. She was wearing a strapless purple dress with a long, flowing black bottom. Silver needlework along the waist gave it this Celtic feel, a perfect contrast to the modern fabric and overall design.

If Rhydian had been a cartoon character his jaw would have crashed to the floor. His eyes wide, he struggled to regain use of his vocal chords.

"Mads, you look like a druid princess. It's brilliant."

Maddy twirled, displaying her impish smile. "You like it?"

Daniel frowned. "Don't you think it's cut a little too low?" He turned to Emma. "I know I didn't approve of _that_ purchase."

Emma beamed at her daughter. "Oh shush, Daniel. Our daughter is beautiful and wants to look her best. Don't be such an old codger."

Rhydian gave Maddy a hug, moving in for the kiss only to have her twirl free of his arms and slip behind the dining room table.

"If you want a kiss, Mister, you're going to have to earn it—and that involves no more projectile meat-eating!"

Just then the doorbell rang, and Maddy immediately started to fidget. She brushed non-existent hair out of her eyes, bit her lip and shifted back and forth uneasily on her feet, all trademark Maddy-isms that Rhydian had grown to recognize.

"Aren't you going to greet your friends Mads?" Rhydian swept out his arm toward the door. With a gulp Maddy started forward, trying to make her bearing as princess-like as possible while ignoring the stupid nerves running amok.

"Hey guys!" Maddy's face brightened when she opened the door and saw all three of them. Jared's hair had that tousled look just like always. Mace's militaristic haircut hadn't changed, but at least his expression was soft and walking-on-eggshells polite as he ducked and replied with a shy hello.

Lyssa's pale as straw blonde hair caught a few stray rays of blood-red sunlight to clash with her Viking blue eyes. "You look…oh my God. Who kidnapped Maddy and replaced her with a fashionable evil twin?" Lyssa teased. She gave Maddy a heartfelt hug and was the first to walk in. The boys were still gaping at Maddy when she beckoned.

"Come on, guys. The roast's all set. I've been trying to fend off Rhydian and my dad with a fork so that they would save some of it until you arrived."

The meal proceeded _mostly_ without incident. Although all the wolfbloods at the table were slightly disappointed at not being able to open up with their playful wolves and be uninhibited, getting to know Maddy's friends was a tradeoff worthwhile.

The only dicey part came when Emma asked Jared about his parents.

"Oh, them. My mom and dad are out of the country a lot, Mrs. Smith. They run a big game hunting business as safari guides. Basically it involves detailed logistics and coddling rich businessmen who want to have an 'adventure' experience they can boast about and put a trophy head on their wall to impress their friends."

Maddy, Rhydian, Emma and Daniel all froze as if Jared had uttered some obscene oath. There was this awkward silence until Maddy came to the rescue.

"Sorry, Jared. We're kind of big animal lovers here, and uh, you kind of caught us by surprise with that."

Jared shook his head with a smile. "You'll get no arguments from me. It puts food on the table for me and my brother but you couldn't pay me enough to do that stuff. Killing animals for sport, I don't know—seems like there are better ways to use one's time, know what I mean?"

"Like playing football?" Lyssa teased, grinning at him as he reached over to poke her in retaliation. Humor had bypassed the tension, and Maddy quickly steered the conversation to safer ground.

They made it to dessert fifteen minutes later, which involved a peanut butter cheesecake good enough to be pictured just under 'mouthwatering' in Wikipedia. Maddy served everyone first, cutting perfect slices—more generous ones for the boys—before sitting down with a greedy look in her eyes.

An eerie howl intruded on the peaceful moment though. One turned into two, and suddenly it seemed like a chorus of howls had brought the dark hills and forests to life. Emma and Daniel tensed, although they hid it pretty well from their guests. Maddy and Rhydian strove for that same level of appearing totally at ease.

There was something subtle in a wolf's call, if you knew what to look for. Those weren't normal wolves howling in the night. They were wolfbloods, and they were close. Getting closer.

An exchange of subtly panicked looks ricocheted between Maddy, Rhydian, Emma, and Daniel. Having a single wolfblood intruder was one thing, but this sounded like a whole pack. Sure, there was a chance that they were just passing through—but then why the howling? Whoever it was, they knew they weren't in their own territory and they weren't being bashful about it.

"Maddy, can you help me in the kitchen for a minute?" Emma quietly excused herself as Maddy followed.

Had the perfect evening just turned into a disaster?


	15. From Dinner to Disaster

Chapter 15 - From Dinner to Disaster

"Go and fill up your duffel bag. We're leaving town for a few days, pet."

"What? Why?" Maddy was about to interrogate her mum when her dad walked briskly into the kitchen.

"I didn't think they'd actually follow through," her dad grumbled grimly. "What shall I tell Maddy's friends?"

Emma pursed her lips, her eyes darting around as she thought it through. "Family emergency. That should do the trick. You want to handle it or shall I?"

"Just a moment! Hello?" Maddy burst out in frustration. "Does someone want to tell me what's going on?"

Rhydian burst into the kitchen just then. "Maddy's friends are talking about the howling and keeping each other occupied, but we don't have long. What's the plan?"

"Rhydian, you'll come with us too," Daniel said. He grinned ruefully at Emma. "I guess we'll have that chance to visit Banff National Park after all."

Maddy waved her arms back and forth like a stranded survivor trying to get the attention of a faraway ship. "Guys," she hissed, "I'm not going anywhere until someone tells me what's going on!"

"Mads, we can't take any chances. We need to go." Rhydian sighed. "There's a reason I changed my mind about joining my mum's pack at Grey Haven. Shortly before I arrived in Swan Hill she started acting weird. Calling me and getting more and more insistent that I come up with you to join their pack." Rhydian looked aside uncomfortably. "Later on Sebastian made some subtle threats against your parents, telling your mum and dad to encourage us to go up north unless they wanted trouble."

Emma nodded. "It's possible that I'm overreacting and that these howling wolfbloods aren't connected, Maddy, but I'm not willing to take that chance—not with your and Rhydian's well-being at stake—and I don't believe in coincidences."

Maddy gripped the countertop to steady herself as thoughts rushed through her head. "Wait. I have to tell you something."

As briefly as she could, Maddy shared what had happened, the message from Ceri told through Nathan. When she was done Maddy felt like a nervous wreck.

"Is it true? Can the alpha committee do that? Put us under house arrest for showing Shan and Tom what we are?" Daniel had gone upstairs and come back with one duffel bag already fully packed. Emma's lips formed a hard line, her eyes turning to steel.

"No, Maddy. The alpha committee only supports the decisions of individual packs. They only put someone under house arrest if it's urgent and if their help is requested by a pack leader to help him or her govern their own pack. They aren't some oppressive, all-powerful group."

"So…wait, Nathan lied to me?"

Rhydian grunted. "Sounds like Sebastian was trying to bluff you into doing what he wanted."

_Sebastian…or your mum, Rhydian?_ Maddy was having more and more trouble dividing the motives of Rhydian's mum and the male alpha, and it worried her.

"OK, Emma. We're packed," Daniel said as he brought down the last gigantic duffel bag, setting it down with a huff.

Emma threw Maddy a cutting look. "You should have told us about your run-in with Nathan _immediately_ , young lady.

"I was going to tell you!"

Rhydian placed an arm around Maddy's shoulders, nuzzling her neck to comfort her as he felt her anxiety. "Mads, sometimes secrets don't have to be held for very long to do serious damage. Your mum's right. You should have told us from the beginning."

_Should have told YOU?_ Maddy thought. _You and my parents kept secrets too, granted you guys were trying to 'protect' me, but secrets are still secrets!_ Maddy sensed a double standard but she had to let it go for now since time was too precious. Maddy still felt miserable and guilty in a way, but she was also stubborn and brave, and she wasn't about to give ground to a bully—even if he did happen to be a powerful wolfblood alpha named Sebastian.

"You guys can go, but I'm staying." Emma, Daniel, and Rhydian all seized up and looked at Maddy as if she'd lost her wits.

"This is not the time to start acting out like a spoiled cub. I'm the alpha in this family and I've made the decision." Emma's hands were on her hips and her eyes had morphed to an ominous yellowish hue.

Maddy wouldn't seriously stay on her own, but _they_ didn't know that, not for sure. That was one way of getting their attention.

"What if there was another way?" Maddy insisted. She looked at Rhydian, his face softening as he gave her an open-minded ear.

"Mads, I don't know how there possibly _could_ be—" Rhydian's head cocked suddenly as if he'd just thought of something. "Unless…" He squeezed Maddy's hand. "What did you have in mind?"

Fortified with Rhydian's support, Maddy rushed ahead.

"We do the exact opposite of running. We stay here and keep Jared, Mace, and Lyssa with us as long as possible. As long as there are humans here any wolfbloods, hostile or not, won't be able to reveal themselves. They'll have to sit tight. In the meantime, Mum, you and dad can go get help from two of the nearest packs."

Emma and Daniel shook their heads. "There aren't any close enough, pet."

"Yes there are." Rhydian's voice filled the gap with conviction. "Between Swan Hill and Coopston there's a pack just recently moved in. The Gaines family. I stayed with them the night before I came to Swan Hill to find Maddy. They're good people and I know they'd help us. It's a mum and dad with five cubs all grown or near-grown. I could get there and back. It's only a few miles."

Emma and Daniel hesitated. Maddy jumped into the fray with the one thing calculated to win her parents over. "If we run now, won't that just embolden Sebastian more?"

Like a dam with a widening fissure underneath, Emma and Daniel's original determination to flee wavered on the verge of collapse. Emma looked at Rhydian.

"How long would it take you?"

Rhydian shrugged. "I could be back in an hour, maybe a little more."

Maddy's parents exchanged a decisive look.

"Okay, be off with you. Go!"

Rhydian shot out the back door like a beam of moonlight, morphing into his wolf so that he could cover ground that much faster.

_Hurry, Rhydian._ Maddy's heart ached as all her hopes went with him. She looked up at her parents. "Guess I'll go see how our guests are doing, yeah?"

Emma and Daniel nodded. "Tell them we'll be in shortly."

The next half hour filled with mounting anxiety as Maddy entertained Jared and her other friends. The howling grew closer and closer before ceasing abruptly, which rather than be a comfort to Maddy made her all the more worried. Maddy looked out the dining room windows at the star-strewn sky with a shiver of dread. When her friends asked what had happened to Rhydian, she came up with an excuse about him not feeling well and resting upstairs. To keep them busy Maddy asked Jared and the others about the field trip planned for next week to Hylmuth Glacier.

"You're joking," Lyssa said, making a face.

"No, I'm dead serious," Mace said. "I'm going to sneak my snowboard along and go down that glacier. That would be awesome. Unforgettable. Think about it for a second, like, the ultimate rush."

Jared laughed. "You're such an adrenaline-junkie. You really do want to get yourself killed, huh?"

Mace shrugged, his boyish face breaking out a carefree grin. "Hey, I'm going to leave this world living a little. Nothing wrong with that."

"What do you think, Maddy?" Lyssa said, rolling her eyes. "Would you say it's more stupidity or insanity? My estimate is around 50-50."

Maddy was about to respond when the doorbell chimed. Emma and Daniel came through the kitchen and went straight to the front door. Their stiff postures and hyper-alert expressions said it all. When they opened the door Maddy heard her mum's voice strained beyond recognition.

"Ceri. Such a pleasant surprise. And I see you brought your 'husband' with you and your pack of 'friends' for us to meet. I'm afraid we don't have enough food for all of you but why don't you and your, uh, husband join us. Do come in."

Emma and Daniel stepped aside as a man and woman entered through the foyer, moving into the living room.

Ceri's long, raven-dark hair and huge, expressive eyes gave her that permanently imposing presence. Her gaze swept the house, missing nothing.

"Where's Rhydian?"

"Oh, he'll be here soon," Maddy said brightly, keeping up a good show as she leapt up from the table. "Ceri, I'd like you to meet my mates from school. This is Jared, Mace, and Lyssa." Jared and company gave Ceri a wave and each of them smiled, all the while looking a little confused.

Beside Ceri stood a surprisingly short man, his head completely shaved and his dark beard matching the char-black shade of Ceri's hair. His eyes were a brown so dark they might as well have been black, and he seemed to survey the house with a calculating eye. His bearing had a hunger to it that made Maddy wonder how much free rein the wolf inside the man truly had—or if it had any limits at all. Goosebumps rippled up and down her arms.

Ceri turned, nodding to Emma and Daniel with strained politeness. "I'd like you to meet Sebastian. Sebastian, these are Maddy's parents, Emma and Daniel." Daniel reached out to shake hands with the man. Although Daniel might have had the physical stature on him, the moment Sebastian's firm hand enveloped his there was no doubt who the real alpha was. Ceri turned to Maddy, who had walked over to get a closer look at Sebastian.

Ceri once again obliged with the introductions. "Sebastian, this is Rhydian's girlfriend, Maddy."

Maddy shot out her hand, barely stifling a growl as he shook it. She refused to wince despite the iron grip squeezing a little too harshly for comfort.

"So you're the beautiful young lady I've heard so much about," Sebastian said drily, as if hidden meaning lay behind each word he deigned to hand out.

"I hope all of it to the good," Maddy replied. "I'm very glad the stories didn't scare you away," she added with a vicious grin, her eyes full of defiance. Out of the corner of her vision Maddy saw her parents quietly indicating that she should try _not_ to escalate things.

"We were just having some dessert a little while ago, but I know there are leftovers. Let me fetch you each a slice of cheesecake," Daniel broke in to try to lessen the tension.

The next half hour became the height of awkwardness. Ceri and Sebastian sat at the table with Emma, Daniel, Maddy and her friends while the rest of Sebastian's pack waited outside. What made it especially awkward was that every time Jared, Lyssa and Mace began making rumblings about having to go home, Maddy or one of her parents quickly interceded, rallying the conversation and insisting they stay for 'just a bit longer.'

Finally though, they had stalled as long they reasonably could. Jared was adamant that he had to be home to help his brother Brayden prepare for a maths test the next morning. He gave Maddy a firm hug as they reached the door. Maddy gave him a kiss on the cheek and squeezed his hands, wondering if this was the last time she would see him.

"Thanks for coming, guys. I'm sorry we kept you so long." Lyssa gave Maddy a hug goodbye and the less sociable Mace just nodded at her, mumbling a thank-you.

Once the house had emptied itself of all humans the atmosphere chilled to arctic depths. Sebastian stood up, circling the table with a roving eye while Ceri sat stiffly, glaring at Maddy, Daniel, and Emma in turn.

"Where is my son?" she bit out angrily.

"He will be here soon," Emma said firmly. "You have my word on it."

"We're taking him back with us tonight," Sebastian butted in. "You had your chance to cooperate. The boy belongs with his mother, _and_ in a pack that will let him live free and be who he truly is."

Maddy couldn't believe the arrogance. Her hands blackened with the change as her wolf yearned to unsheathe its claws.

"You don't know a thing about him." Maddy stood up, eyes blazing. "You're like an extinct species from another time. You think you can decide the lives of others like some king. You think being a bully is the same as being a leader. Some alpha you are!" Maddy snarled at him, and Ceri stood up to snarl right back.

"You'll behave yourself, little girl. You'll not talk to my mate that way."

Emma and Daniel stood up too, bristling with anger and protective of their cub. This was not a good situation. Five wolfbloods antagonistic toward each other and in close quarters. The tension had now hit boiling point. Sebastian's teeth grated, black veins snapping out in stark relief along his neck as his eyes yellowed with the haunting stare of his wolf.

"Perhaps we should step outside and discuss this further," he growled.

But Ceri seemed to fight for a shred of sanity and reasonableness. She crossed to the other side of the room and gently took Maddy by the shoulders.

"Let's not be like this, Maddy. I know Rhydian loves you very much, and you love him. Wouldn't you like to live with him in a place where you don't have to worry about 'wolfing out' every second of the day? Where you can go to a school where you _don't_ have to keep your true selves bottled up inside?" When Maddy tried to give her a civil look Ceri mistook it for encouragement and prattled on.

"The compound has everything you and Rhydian will need. We're self-sufficient, Maddy. Sebastian cares about his pack as a good leader should and he keeps us insulated from bad human influences. We've already built a cabin for you and Rhydian that I know you'll love. Won't you reconsider, sweetie?" Ceri traced a hand along Maddy's cheek and the unearned stab at intimacy made the wolfblood girl flinch.

Maddy took a step back, her breath coming out in gasps. "Please…don't be like this. Rhydian and I are happy here. We don't need to always be our wolves to be happy. We're human too."

Ceri's look soured and the façade slipped away. "You're a bunch of tames denying yourselves, fooling yourselves." She turned to Sebastian and that seemed to give him the cue to use the stick instead of the carrot.

"Come outside with us. We'll wait for Rhydian to return out in the moonlight," Sebastian said, his lips curling into a grim smile.

Not seeing much choice, the Smiths followed Sebastian and Ceri outside. There they found ten more wolfbloods waiting in the yard, the strongest males in Sebastian's pack. Maddy picked Nathan out of the crowd, her wolf inwardly growling with hackles raised.

_If it comes to a fight, you're mine._

As the seconds ticked by unbearably the tension kept rising. _Please come soon, Rhydian. We can't stall any longer._

Sebastian shifted in his overcoat, picking a piece of invisible lint off of his sleeve. "Perhaps you sent Rhydian away." He looked darkly at Maddy's parents. "Perhaps we should take Maddy up north with us for a tour of the compound." The threat leapt out, making Maddy's skin prickle as she realized that Sebastian wasn't really any such thing as a 'hybrid' wolfblood. He was a wild wolfblood with a thin veneer of 'tameness' on the outside that didn't change who he was deep down, not even for a second.

Fear and loathing surged in Maddy. She didn't want her parents getting hurt trying to protect her from him. _What am I going to do?_


	16. Wolves Unleashed

Chapter 16 - Wolves Unleashed

"Why?" Maddy hissed the question at Nathan, but Sebastian answered like the arrogant alpha he was.

"I thought it would be worthwhile putting some pressure on you Maddy. Seeing if you loved Rhydian enough to reunite him with his mother and forsake your own family. The threat about the alpha committee was just extra incentive—nothing personal, mind you. I wouldn't have followed through with it even if I could have." Sebastian's gloating made Maddy sick.

She was about to lash out at him when a flurry of howls pierced the quiet. Maddy looked toward the nearest hilltop. Clouds cut across the moon, obscuring but not fully diminishing the soft, eerie glow that still painted the night. The howls grew stronger now, more confident, and then—silence. Maddy's keen hearing gradually picked up the pitter-pattering crunch of pawed feet in the undergrowth. Soon enough her eyes saw four-legged shadows flashing between the trees.

They came like a pack of demons, speeding through the woods as fast as any wolfbloods she'd ever seen. The Gaines pack was a hardy group, big for wolfbloods and definitely accustomed to living on the outskirts of human civilization. Yet they were still tames in the strictest sense, Maddy could tell by the way their wolfy eyes seemed to radiate both ferocity _and_ concern.

Her Rhydian stood at the forefront with Garrick Gaines, the Gaines pack's alpha. Together they changed, managing the transition with difficulty. A wolfblood's change could be seamless but in times of dire stress it could also be very painful. Maddy's heart felt for Rhydian as he shifted into human form with anguish on his face.

"Mum! What are you doing here?"

Before Ceri could answer Sebastian had already interjected himself.

"Hello Rhydian. Your mother's told me what a fine young man you are. I'm glad we finally have the chance to meet." The self-importance and arrogance of the alpha made Maddy feel nauseous again, and she swiftly moved to Rhydian's side, locking her hand with his.

"Back off." The slender wolfblood girl looked fierce enough to take on an army.

Sebastian's bearded face crumpled into a frown, as if he was humoring a lower form of life. "Your girlfriend's manners leave something to be desired, and I suppose she isn't yet ready to embrace a better way of living. Eventually I'm sure she'll come around. In the meantime, your mother and I have come to bring you back with us to Grey Haven. You weren't meant to live like this, like a tame rat in a maze going after its apportioned helping of cheese. Living here among the humans is like living among walls, constrained at every turn. Your wolf knows you deserve better. I'm here to make sure you have it, Rhydian. Please, come with us. Join us, Rhydian."

"And if I don't?" Rhydian's hand clasped Maddy's more tightly. It was a gesture that didn't go unnoticed.

"Then you leave me little choice. Then we let our primal natures decide the outcome."

Suddenly Rhydian's brow furrowed, and he removed his hand from Maddy's clasp. "What if I came willingly? You'd promise to let Maddy and her family be, yeah?"

Sebastian gave him a solemn nod.

"Rhydian, no. What are you doing?" Maddy gaped at the boy she loved, her whole being seized up in turmoil. _Don't you dare act like an idiot out of some stupid noble intentions!_ No, this wasn't happening!

"So you really are a coward then." All eyes turned toward the unlikely source of those words. The male alphas pinned their eyes on Emma.

"You heard me, Sebastian." Maddy's mum strode up to him, glaring with every ounce of defiance she had in her wolfblood veins—like mum, like daughter. "Have you told your pack that your little experiment's been tried by wolfbloods before? Tried and failed _miserably_ too. You're no real wolfblood. You're a fake, a copycat selling an illusion."

Sebastian's lips curled back. His eyes blackened, then yellowed. His warning growl came from a deep and bottomless place, yet Emma went on as if he was of no consequence whatsoever.

"Over 150 years ago a wolfblood just like you decided he could create some wolfblood utopia. He called it the 'Heavenly Kingdom' and set up shop in China. Do you know what we call it today?"

"What?" Nathan's curiosity had gotten the best of him, and a few more of Sebastian's wolfbloods looked intrigued even as their alpha's expression darkened.

"The Taiping Rebellion," Emma shouted. "And nearly 30 million died in the conflicts that followed. The wolfblood who started it all tried to set himself up as a god. Yes, his arrogance knew no bounds. Sound like anyone you know?" Emma's stare pinned Sebastian like an arrow. "You're a coward and a charlatan, and I'll say this: You'll not lay a hand on my cub or my cub's future mate."

That was it, the point of no return.

Sebastian morphed into his enormous wolf, dark fur with streaks of silver like flecks of molten iron. He growled at Emma, baring his teeth with ears flattened. Emma had already changed too. Now, all along, the battle lines were drawn.

The wolfbloods in the field behind the Smiths' house had shifted and rearranged themselves like two warring tribes. Maddy's tawny wolf eyed Nathan, primed for the fight.

_Now._

Everything happened in a blur of fur, claws, and snapping jaws as wolfblood tore at wolfblood. Despite the cold Maddy felt like a furnace was burning her from the inside out, adrenaline leaving no room for the fear. Her muscles bunched up as she lunged and clawed at her opponent. Nathan ducked as she snapped her jaws at him. He circled around behind her for his own attack before she could react.

Maddy was too nimble for him, leaping clear and then batting at the face to disorient the bigger wolf. She smacked him squarely on the snout, and that gave her the precious jolt of opportunity, her teeth chomping right into one of his exposed tendons. He let out a painful cry as the coppery taste of blood filled her mouth. Moments later she felt him bite into her flank, but her thick padding of fur prevented it from sinking in and she used the extra time to pierce another chunk of Nathan's fragile tissue.

Nathan's wolfish scream echoed in the night as he frantically pulled one leg free of her iron grip. Maddy felt the muscle tear, exultant with bloodlust as she leapt onto his back, gnawing at the back of his neck.

Nathan squirmed, frantically trying to throw her off. At the periphery of her awareness the wolfblood girl saw the Gaines alpha taking on two of Sebastian's wolves, every bit their match, but what made her blood clot with icicles was the sight of her mum fighting Sebastian— _alone_.

Maddy jumped off Nathan, ignoring the wounded wolf and going to aid her mum.

Emma and Sebastian circled each other, her wolf dwarfed by his. She'd kept him at arms' length until now, but her fatigue was showing. Sebastian burst ahead with explosive speed, his jaws clutching her around the neck as he shook her so hard Maddy was sure he would snap apart her bones.

_No!_

Maddy lunged low, her eyes shining as the moon cleared the clouds. She saw the prize, that most vulnerable spot underneath Sebastian's bulk, and she tore at it with all her fury. There was a loud, keening cry as her fangs sank into Sebastian's weakest spot, the one weakness all males shared.

_Don't you dare hurt my mum!_ Maddy held on for dear life as Sebastian thrashed and flailed with blind rage. The desperate alpha managed to sink his huge canines through one of Maddy's paws, but she hardly felt the pain as the adrenaline protected her like a shield. She only pressed harder around the flesh between her teeth, her jaw putting pounds of merciless pressure on the one area that could take it the least.

In the background there was a dismayed yelp and more sounds of wolves' keening whines and wails. Something had shifted—the tide of the fight turning—but which way? Maddy was too preoccupied to care.

Then her cares were drowned in a sea of hot, stabbing pain as something bit into her butt. She ignored the lancing spasms that shot through her entire body and the throbbing in her hand until finally Sebastian tore free of her grip and scampered for the tree line. Blood streamed down Maddy's jaw as she turned to deal with the threat from behind, but it had already been dealt with by an unlikely new champion.

Ceri? Yes, it was Ceri now clawing and snarling at one of Sebastian's wolfbloods, her hackles raised in wrath as her wolfy eyes blazed.

_We're not outnumbered. Not anymore._ Maddy's wolf saw two, then a third wolfblood flee and get swallowed up in the dark. A few snarling exchanges and growl-barks echoed from the far corners of the field, but even those sounds soon trailed off. The Gaines pack had made the difference and the Smiths and Ceri and Rhydian had all done their parts. Finally all that remained were the groans of the wounded, one wolf after the next reverting to human form. When they felt strong enough to change again most would be able to heal themselves, but for now they had to live and fight through the haze of pain, each one trapped in their own personal hell.

Maddy was no exception, her left hand in ruins and her butt feeling like someone had lit it on fire. She groaned on her side, tears sliding down her cheeks just from the sheer agony. But she didn't think about her own pain now, her mind was too fixated on her mum. She wiggled over toward her as Emma changed. Relief flooded Maddy as Emma walked over and knelt down, it seemed none the worse for wear.

"Maddy!" Rhydian was picking her up in his arms. Scratch marks and flecks of blood marred his handsome face, but otherwise he was unhurt. Her Rhydian was all right! Maddy's heart sang, relief trickling through the fog of agony. Her butt throbbed, her hand throbbed. Her whole body ached and on some level she deliriously didn't care.

_We did it._

Emma's insistent, matter-of-fact tone drifted above the din of moans and groans.

"Bring all the wounded inside and we'll tend to them. Daniel, you're in charge of the Grey Haven wolfbloods. Treat them like you would our own."

Daniel nodded even as his gaze clearly sought out Maddy and Maddy knew he wanted to be there for her too.

"It's okay, Dad. I'm all right."

But it wasn't okay…not hardly. As soon as Emma brought Maddy in she swept all of the remnants of dinner clear off the dining room table. The sound of shattering dishware fazed Emma not one bit as she lay her daughter on the table and unceremoniously yanked down her daughter's pants to have a look at the wound.

"Mum!" Maddy was still conscious enough, with enough of the adrenaline still active to keep the pain at bay, that she had the awareness to feel embarrassed. "I'm practically naked!"

Rhydian was right there, too! The shame of it almost killed her right there. Admittedly it helped that Rhydian was kneeling face to face with her, staring just into her eyes as he stroked her hair and tried to soothe her.

"Mads, don't move. Don't struggle. Your mum needs to take a look at those wounds." Emma was already barking orders at one of the Gaines wolfbloods to assist her. Rhydian was being the biggest help he could by keeping Maddy distracted and relatively docile.

More tears—not from any sadness, just the surging pain in her torn-up body, trickled down Maddy's face.

"No…. Mum, stop it!" she cried. Rhydian stubbornly smoothed a hand across her brow and kissed her on the forehead.

"SSHHH, Mads. Just look at me. Focus on me." In the background Maddy could hear her mum's tone, all serious, something about the wound being too deep and not healing properly if they didn't treat it with a healing ointment. Mads almost wanted to die as the shame deepened. Of all the times she'd imagined Rhydian first seeing her with her pants off—not that she'd ever admit that to anyone, mind you—this was not even the remotest possibility!

"Rhydian…" she huffed, fighting through the pain, "if you ever…I mean ever speak of this, ever." He wiped away her tears and nodded along as she kept talking. "I mean, ever, ever, ever…."

"Oh Maddy. I'll take a live, healthy, beautiful and embarrassed girlfriend over a dead one, and look what my eyes are on. Yeah, where am I looking, smelly girl? Hmm? Just at you. I'm right here with _you_ , thank you very much. Now _shush_ your whining." And with that Rhydian leaned forward, gently kissing her and nuzzling her almost at the same time. Maddy took a shuddery breath, calmed by the sudden infusion of his scent. She relaxed for a few heartbeats until she felt a renewed throbbing-burning sensation along her backside.

"What's going on?" Maddy cried frantically. 

"They're just applying the salve, Mads. It's okay." 

Maddy squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating just on the feather-light caress of Rhydian's fingers in her hair…pretending she was anywhere but here and in any situation but this one. In the meantime someone else was applying that same foul-smelling ointment to her punctured hand, then wrapping it up gently but firmly with gauze. 

After what seemed like an hour later Maddy had new pants on, her wounds properly tended. She still lay on her side, not daring to move though. Rhydian sat in the chair beside her, his fingers interlocked with hers. He gave her a smooch on the nose as her eyes fluttered open. 

"What…what happened?" 

"No worries, Mads. You drifted off for a few minutes. The adrenaline's wearing off and your mum gave you some pain meds. It's all right if you feel drowsy. Go ahead, get some shut-eye. It's not like I'm going anywhere," he said, smiling at her fondly. 

"Did…is everyone else okay?" Maddy remembered Ceri in the middle of the fray, switching sides and fighting her own pack for Rhydian's sake. "Is your mum, is she…?" 

Rhydian nodded, patting Maddy's unhurt hand. "She's fine, Mads. She's been asking about you nonstop but your mum won't let anyone get near you except me and your dad." 

Maddy's cute face finally managed a grin. "Yeah, that sounds like my mum. Ugh." Maddy had made the mistake of trying to shift. Sparks of pain flared up and down her torso. "Okay…we won't be trying that again." 

"Are you cold? Thirsty?" 

Maddy nodded with vigor. "Yes and yes." 

"Okay. Hold that thought. Blanket and water coming right up." As Rhydian left Maddy wondered about what would happen to Sebastian and his pack now that he'd been thwarted, humiliated. She couldn't help but wonder. _Was it really over?_


	17. From Nightmares to New Understandings

Chapter 17 - From Nightmares to New Understandings

Maddy awoke soaked in sweat, and not for the first time. It had been five days since the 'Battle on the Canadian Moors,' as she and Rhydian had jokingly called it when they'd told Shan and Tom about the fight. The wolfblood girl's wounds had healed—physically. Mentally though, well, that was a breed of trauma that didn't give up the ghost so easily.

Maddy slipped out of bed and tiptoed down the hallway. It wasn't that her parents couldn't have comforted her, but she wasn't a cub anymore. She wanted to think of herself as strong, not weak. As a younger cub she used to tell them everything, but as a 16-year-old wolfblood she stubbornly wanted to fight and win some of her own battles. She could be vulnerable in front of Rhydian in a way she _couldn't be_ with Emma or Daniel.

And that was why the wolfblood girl now gingerly stepped down the staircase so as to avoid any creaking floorboards. Emma's snoring drifted to her like the fluttering wings of an obese butterfly. The clouds were thick and fog gave the night a monotonous texture. _I miss the moon_ Maddy thought.

Rhydian lay on the living room couch dozing quietly, his face a picture of serenity that Maddy envied. She hated to wake him up, so instead she just stood there for a spell watching him. The jarring images, the hot surge of pain flooding her body as Sebastian's fangs tore through her hand—it all came rushing back. The nightmare's aftereffects clung to Maddy like curls of barbed wire.

As if he sensed her unease through some supernatural wolfblood sense, Rhydian started awake. He sat up, peering at Maddy in the near total blackness.

"Mads is that you?" The wolfblood boy's blue eyes sparked with concern as he popped off the sofa and rushed to her, gathering her up against him and fitting her flowing hair neatly under his chin. "Another nightmare, huh?" He stroked the long brown hair that was the perfect complement to her warm brown eyes. He hated to see pain in them like he did now as he forced her chin up, studying her delicate face.

"Four nights out of five," Maddy joked. "And the nightmares have it by a landslide…."

He caressed her cheeks, smiling sadly. "On the upside, at least with all these sleepless nights your parents are letting me stay over, to be here for you…."

Maddy looked up at him shyly. "I'm sorry to be such a problem. It shouldn't be like this. You were there too. Your wolf fought just as ferociously as mine did. Why do I have to be like this? To be so weak…."

Rhydian shook his head fiercely and kissed Maddy tenderly on the brow. "Don't you even think that! Each person responds differently to something as messed up as what we went through. Mads, you were a hero out there. You took on Sebastian to save your mum! You should be proud of yourself." His fingers trailed through her silky hair, making Maddy purr softly as she melted deeper into his arms. "Give it time. You'll see. These nightmares won't last. You're stronger than you think. In fact, you're the bravest girl I know."

A stray tear slipped down Maddy's cheek. "You're too good to me," she sniffed. Their lips met as he cradled her head. The intoxicating mixture of touch, scent, and body heat chased away the anxieties from Maddy's mind.

When they finally broke the kiss Maddy's eyes tightened.

"What about you? You haven't said anything since visiting your mum yesterday."

She'd said the wrong thing. Immediately Rhydian disengaged and paced over to the bay windows. He clenched and unclenched his fists, his back to her as he stared at the fog-wrapped night.

"Rhydian?" Maddy came up beside him, sliding her arm around his waist for a change. The veins in his wrists stood out, midnight blue to black. She reached up with her other hand to rub his chest, to distract him with her touch, but even that had no effect as his heart rate continued to soar.

"I have an idea," she said softly. "Let's do what you taught me, when the wolf is restless or angry…come on." She tugged him out the front door. "Hilltop?"

Rhydian nodded reluctantly, and the two vanished into the fog. They ran towards Hilltop, the highest point near Swan Hill. They ran in human form but beyond human abilities. As she ran using only her keen wolfblood senses to keep her from tripping or running smack into the trunk of a tree, Maddy felt a heady mixture of adrenaline overcome any worry for the perils.

_Mum and dad would not be happy about this_ she thought fleetingly. But clearly Rhydian needed this—his _wolf_ needed this. Within maybe 45 minutes they had reached the top, and Maddy found her hopes hadn't been for nothing. The tall outcropping stood clear of the fog, and from here she and Rhydian could look up at the unobscured moon, a beautiful otherworldly bauble in the sky.

Maddy clasped Rhydian's hand.

"We should come up here more often, yeah?" She squeezed his hand. He was coming out of the worst of his anger, and she let out a secret little sigh.

"This was exactly what I needed, Mads. Thank you." He turned to her, his blue eyes almost back to normal…still troubled, but at least blue instead of yellow-tinged.

"So…want to tell me about your mum? Has she been all right staying with the Gaines pack until she figures out what she wants to do?" Maddy tried to prod gently. He ignored the questions, examining the stars as if they held all the answers. Maddy may have been a wolfblood, but she could be like a dog with a bone if you tried to ignore her.

She swiveled to face him, blocking out his view. "Shall we try this again? When someone asks you a question, it's polite to answer. When your girlfriend asks you a question—"

"I'm required to answer, yes, I know," Rhydian groaned. Pain still shone in his eyes like bits of broken glass. "It's hard, Mads. She made the right choice only at the last possible moment. My mum indirectly almost got you and your mum killed, Mads! I can't just let that go."

Maddy kissed the corner of his mouth, the side of his face, her hands rubbing his shoulders. "No one's asking you to, Rhydian."

"She's my mum, though! It feels wrong to hate her. All I feel towards her right now is just this pure rage. She's failed me before, but never like this. Never has she put everyone I love in so much danger." Rhydian's eyes looked moist, but he held it at bay.

The wolfblood girl sat down on a comfortably-shaped boulder and patted the spot beside her.

"Come sit." Rhydian reluctantly did, shifting as Maddy made him swivel so that they were facing again. "Tell me the good things first off. It can't all have been bad. When you went to talk to your mum yesterday, it can't all have been a disaster….?"

Rhydian shrugged. "Bryn is doing well. He wanted to stay with another pack back in England. He's happy, and I'm glad for him. He's probably better off without _her_ anyway."

When Rhydian glanced away Maddy saw all the pain and the hurt twisted up inside of him and just leaking at the edges. She wished she could comfort him but she didn't know how to fix this. She couldn't begin to—until her idea struck.

"Look, Rhydian, I think you need to acknowledge that your mum got in over her head. She didn't know how awful Sebastian was until it was too late. She made the right choice in the end, she stood up for you. For us."

"Stop making excuses for her!" Rhydian sprang up, pacing dangerously close to the very edge of Hilltop's cliff face.

"Rhydian!" Maddy's stomach heaved as Rhydian stumbled over the edge of the precipice. She was there just in time, dragging him back down on top of her. Their breaths mingled in the cold night air as she lay like a flattened pancake underneath his bulky male form.

"Mads!" Concern had replaced Rhydian's moodiness as he helped her up and checked her over, guilt written all over his face.

"I'm fine. Now, stop being difficult and tell me more about your visit with your mum."

"I'm sorry, I just don't see a clear answer. She's finally gotten to the point where she fully accepts that you're part of my life, Mads. She knows how much I care about you and she knows that's not changing."

Maddy nodded, stroking the side of Rhydian's face. "So. See? There _is_ hope."

Rhydian gave her a miserable look. "No, that's just it Mads. It's false hope. She still stubbornly sees all 'tames' like you and your family as inferior. She's willing to put up with you because she knows I love you, but she hasn't really learned anything! She hasn't really changed." Rhydian let out a half-growl of frustration that echoed off the cliffs. "If there was something I could do to make her see, if there was anything at all I could do besides feel absolutely nothing in common with the woman who gave me life, Maddy, then I'd do it—in a heartbeat."

The idea in Maddy's mind intensified. She took her boyfriend's hand and pressed it softly to her chest.

"I've always trusted you with my heart, Rhydian, because I know that you're a good and decent person. I sensed that even on that first day when I met you, forlorn and lost, just a wolf alone. Even then, you were better off than you are now, if you give in to feeling this festering hate for your mum. Despising Ceri isn't going to accomplish anything, Rhydian. She's your mum and yeah, she's not perfect"—Rhydian glared—"OK, far from it!" Maddy conceded. "But she's the only mum you've got and she cares for you in her own misguided way."

Maddy took a breath, trying a different tactic. "If she's learned to accept me, even 'put up with me' as you say, then that _is_ change. You can't _force_ someone to change and you also can't force someone to change at your pace. Maybe you don't want to give Ceri any credit for the good intentions she's had or the good things she's done because it's easier to just hate her—to have this boundary so you don't have to deal with the complexity of what she is."

Rhydian sighed, dipping his head down to stare at the ground. When he finally looked up, there was this resigned stoop to his shoulders. "Maybe you're right. I see you with your parents. You've got the ideal, Maddy. Your parents obviously love and support you and make the right decisions by you. Sometimes I so _yearn_ for that. I mean I know your parents treat me like a son and one of their own, but I yearn for that. I guess I see all of my mum's mistakes, and they just look intensified times ten when I compare her to your parents."

He looked away miserably, but Maddy felt only hope. She ruffled his hair with a smile and gave him a firm kiss.

"What was that for?"

"That was for admitting the truth." She beamed at him. "Now I think you know what needs to be done." When he didn't respond, giving her this perplexed stare, she made a shooing gesture with her hand. "Go to her, Rhydian. Go spend some time with your mum. Go to Coopston and take as long as you need to work out some of your differences. You may not magically fix everything that stands between you, but it'll surely help. I think you'll only regret it if you let this thing fester. You need to forgive Ceri—and not for her sake, Rhydian, but for _yours_."

Satisfied with her little speech Maddy folded her arms and tried to give him her sternest _You know I'm right_ look.

It worked.

"OK. I'll take your advice. I'll…I'll go stay with her for a while. You're sure your parents can work things out with the school?"

"Don't worry about it. They'll figure something out. Now stop wasting time." Rhydian enfolded Maddy's slender figure, enveloping her with his scent as he kissed her with all the passion goodbyes required.

"Mads, I'll be back as soon as I can. You know that."

Maddy pretended she didn't have the urge to cry. Sometimes to show someone you really loved them, you had to let them go. She knew it wouldn't be forever, and she just felt somehow that if Rhydian didn't start to mend the rift with Ceri now, it might never mend.

"It's all right, Rhydian. I'll be fine until you get back. I'm a big girl."

"You're my girl," he corrected, nuzzling her face and tracing kisses down her neck. Maddy sighed, tears streaking down her cheeks before she could stop them. _Damn it, Maddy, don't you dare cry. Don't you dare make this harder for him! He has to do this, so behave!_ She turned away, refusing to let him see her tears.

"Go. I mean it!" she insisted. He turned and vanished, the fog swallowing him up. She stood there letting the tears flow and berating herself all the while.

_Why am I such rubbish at goodbyes? It's not like he's going away forever._ But her wounded heart didn't seem to care, crying out in anguish all the same. She turned to make the long trek home. She didn't feel like running. Her dejected wolf barely stirred. A listless sadness was ready to settle in. Just as she was about to find the path down the slope, though, a face suddenly appeared from the fog. A handsome face with a smirk that always lifted up her spirits.

"Rhydian! I thought you left." Rhydian collided into her, sweeping her off her feet. He grinned as he swung her in a wide circle, staring at her so lovingly.

"I did leave. I had to come back though. I had one more question for you before I go."

He paused, as if debating whether he had the strength or courage to ask it. "Will you come with me? I know your parents won't be happy about it, but I'm asking anyway."

Her heart stopped and Maddy swiped away her tears, noticing that Rhydian's face sported a few of his own. She'd seldom done anything this impulsive in her life. Running away with Rhydian for a few days to work things out with Ceri was _definitely_ falling under that category. Emma and Daniel would be furious. It was reckless. Ill-advised. She could think of other words her mum would use.

And yet….

"Yes, Rhydian. My answer's yes."

As Rhydian set her gently on her feet the wolfblood couple entwined fingers and fled into the night towards the unknown.

**Author's Note:  
Thanks to everyone who read or enjoyed my Maddian story and my first real effort at a fanfic, especially to all you amazing people who gave me helpful comments and those nudges of encouragement - I'm very grateful. This is the end of Wolf Bond but there will be a sequel. I love the world of wolfblood too much to let it sit idle for too long…. **

I may also start working on some other shorter wolfblood fanfics, so please if you like what you've seen keep tabs on me and I'll promise to give you some fun stories in the near future. 

Humbly yours, 

~Jkirsch 


End file.
